By: Reynante S. Aningalan
Principal II, San Francisco Integrated NHS
Technology has brought us immeasurable comfort and necessity for our physical health inside and outside of the school and workplace. The societal effects of wearable devices include fear of breaches in private data, concerns about techno-doping, limited trust due to performance issues, and on the advantageous side, it can improve one’s sports experience especially for disabled users or those with defects in accordance with his respective sports. Because some wearable devices need personal data like heart rate, hydration, and emotional state, it can somehow breach some data privacy. For example, a person can be identified by his teammates that he or she has ailments because of the device, it might not help him or her in the long run. One of its sting advantages though, is it being helpful to some disabled user because it can improve their performance to be better in their chosen sports.
When it comes to physical effects of using wearable sports devices, it increases physical activities for all ages, it also decreases health costs, and helps in the reduction in number of injuries. On the other hand, it also has the potential to harm athletes during collisions especially if the game is very physical. One of the benefits of wearing sports devices is better injury management and it can also lessen the risk of the severity of an injury. It can also improve rehabilitation after an injury is sustained. Many athletes sustain injuries that may be threatening to their inclusion in the game and thus, new technologies such as wearable devices can help therapists and specialists treat every level of athlete and every range of injury.
In the economic side of using wearable devices in sports, it helps in expanded revenues for teams and wearable companies. It gives more jobs and employment for those who manufacture such device. It also creates employment for sports analytic jobs. The countless data provides several opportunities for sports teams to either prevent loss of profit or generate more revenue. We all know that sports is business and entertainment so the more spectators, it means more income for the sports.
