Recently, the use of digital self-tracking devices has increased exponentially. Although these devices are positioned as health-tools, an emerging empirical literature has started to document relationships between the use of such technologies and body image and eating concerns. To date, however, these explorations have not been guided by an integrated theoretical framework. The present manuscript aimed to fill this gap by providing a framework to guide and stimulate this area of research. The proposed framework integrates elements of critical sociocultural theories that have been successful in accounting for the development and maintenance of body image and eating concerns and other body change behaviors, including theories of Biopower and those that highlight the role of objectification and self-surveillance, and it extends them to describe how self-tracking devices, and specifically body performance tracking tools, may contribute to pressures to monitor, discipline, and mold the body to unrealistic appearance ideals through the consumption of products and services. The framework focuses on how these processes promote the pursuit of an outperforming ibody, a perpetually optimizing body that leverages technological advancement to fine-tune its appearance and performance. In addition, the integrated framework describes the role of gender, and how women may be disproportionately vulnerable to their negative effects. Thus, such devices may be unhelpful to vulnerable individuals and perpetuate cultural discourses that hinder positive embodiment. The framework laid out here will hopefully contribute to stimulating research in this area.

最近，数字自跟踪设备的使用呈指数增长。尽管这些设备被定位为健康工具，但新兴的实证文献已经开始记录使用此类技术与身体形象和饮食问题之间的关系。然而，迄今为止，这些探索还没有受到综合理论框架的指导。本手稿旨在通过提供一个框架来指导和刺激这一研究领域来填补这一空白。拟议的框架整合了重要社会文化理论的要素，这些理论已经成功地解释了身体形象和饮食问题的发展和维持以及其他身体变化行为，包括生物能量理论和那些强调客观化和自我监视作用的理论，并将它们扩展到描述自我跟踪设备，特别是身体表现跟踪工具，如何通过产品和服务的消费，导致监测、训练和塑造身体以达到不切实际的外观理想的压力。该框架侧重于这些过程如何促进追求超越 ibody，一种不断优化的身体，利用技术进步来微调其外观和性能。此外，综合框架描述了性别的作用，以及女性如何可能不成比例地受到其负面影响的影响。因此，此类装置可能对弱势个体无益，并使阻碍积极体现的文化话语永久化。此处列出的框架有望促进该领域的研究。