Turn on your TV or open a web browser this January, and you’ll be bombarded with ads for fitness trackers, smart scales, health apps, and other digital innovations promising to streamline your journey to a happier and healthier you. It’s the time of year when we’re most susceptible to such messaging: Surveys show that at least one-third of our New Year’s resolutions focus on exercising, losing weight, or eating better.
That’s great news for the $45 billion fitness tracking industry, which spends vast sums on advertising designed to convince us that data is the key to better living. The marketing campaigns work: Each January, fitness app downloads spike 36% higher than usual. We’ve also seen the rise of over 400 personalized nutrition companies, while over 12 million people have sequenced their DNA through 23andMe.
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Only one problem: The data isn’t working. At least 1.4 million Americans are diagnosed with diabetes each year. Obesity rates soared from 31% to 42% over the past decade. Life expectancy is declining. We were told data would put us in control, but we’re actually less healthy than ever.
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