Fitbit, the wearable activity and wellness tracker device, has becoming the leader in the fitness industry in many respects, and the company behind the bracelets plans to capitalize on that positioning when they release their next edition: the Fitbit Alta. According to Christian Today, the newest version of the fitness tracker is expected to be released by the end of the first financial quarter for the year, based on recent meetings and conferences the company has had.
The new Fitbit is smaller, sleeker, and packed with even more capabilities than its predecessor. In addition to tracking virtually every movement you make over the course of a day, the new device also boasts a five-day charge capacity, even with everyday use. That means less time having to worry about whether or not your tracker is charged and more time getting out and working up a sweat.
While Fitbit has been lauded by many as a great way to track your fitness levels and stay motivated, there are some areas that gray the omnipotent devices uses. According to ReligionDispatches.org, the Federal Trade Commission has even warned that the trackers could be used to sell consumers’ information to corporations or to spy on people.
One of these instances occurred on the campus of Oral Roberts University (ORU). The four-year liberal arts Christian college in Tulsa, OK, is a popular choice among some of the approximately 173 million Christians in the country. At least they were. The university started requiring incoming freshman students to wear these devices last year for a gym course. Part of the grade for the course relied on metrics like how many steps the students took per day.
Since Fitbit’s track everything you do though, many students were upset that they could even be “seen” when having sex with the device on, since calories are burned during intercourse. This is especially a potential problem at a university that specifically bans premarital sex.
It’s an interesting conundrum of how technology can improve the lives of many people and be a great benefit, but typically not without consequences of some kind.
