Technology
Put down your phone: How selfies and videos are ruining gym etiquette and invading privacy
Taking selfies and videos is now as common as sending emails or text messages. While taking selfies and videos in the comfort of your own home or in your own chosen company is a given, what about public spaces with strangers?
That’s a new world to navigate, as you now don’t only have to worry about “Big Brother” spying on you but also the stranger lifting weights or running on the treadmill next to you.
While a proud workout photo or video to post on social media or send to your friends or family to keep you motivated on your fitness journey is one thing, people are starting to film videos of themselves in group workout classes and all aspects of the gym experience.
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Woman taking a selfie at the gym. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
Gyms tackle privacy in the age of social media
While gym rats may be comfortable with the ins and outs of gym culture and have a routine down pat, new members and private individuals alike who are already intimidated by stepping foot into the gym face the risk of being in some random person’s viral social media photo or video without their consent.
Though some influencers make a conscious effort to position their phones in an isolated way to photograph or tape only themselves or get permission from anyone else in the photo or video before posting, others capture people without their consent.
While hospitals and government buildings have started to post stronger “no cellphone” or “cellphone recording” policies, gyms, and workout studios are also starting to enact new policies to address the impact of selfies and videos.
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Man and woman doing yoga at yoga studio. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
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Top reasons why you should put the phone down at the gym
While a good workout selfie or video can feel like a personal post-workout reward, below are the top seven reasons why putting your phone down may be an even better reward:
1. Better focus: Unless you’re filming yourself working out to watch later to see how your form has changed over time, not having to worry about what angle to film or who is or isn’t in the shot helps you be more present during the workout. Not worrying about how you’re being filmed also likely helps you maintain better form.
2. Better results: Proper form and being engaged in your workout leads to better results.
3. Safer workout: Focusing helps you with better form for better results and keeps you safer. Anyone who’s done a squat incorrectly can attest to how important form is to getting results, not injuries. That split-second distraction from your phone can lead to chronic or acute pain later. It also creates a safer environment for others by limiting accidents.
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Women giving each other a high-five during workout.
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4. Better connection: It’s easy to scroll when there is a lag time between when you enter and start your workout class. But when you put the phone down before class, those few minutes can help you connect with yourself and those around you. You may not be paying attention to your energy levels if you’re busy focusing on taking a selfie or video before class or a cardio session. You could easily overdo it, which can lead you to “throw in the towel” too soon or not soon enough. You can miss connecting with the person next to you or the instructor giving key guidance.
5. Better experience: Most people don’t head to the gym to be reminded about all of life’s challenges, so why not shut off your phone and put those challenges at bay for the duration of your workout? The neighbor on the treadmill next to you likely doesn’t want to hear you complaining about work or your spouse. And to be honest, you probably don’t want to hear about their day, either.
Man checking his phone during a workout at the gym. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
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6. Faster workout: Who hasn’t looked on their phone to check the time, only to be sucked into a time warp of notifications and other distractions? If you put down the phone, you’re likely to move through the different exercises faster. While resting intentionally between sets can be helpful for your body, taking selfies and recording videos may derail the momentum of your workout.
7. Protect your privacy and those around you: If you post “live” footage, photos or videos of you working out at the gym or a workout studio, you can leave yourself open to being targeted by unsavory individuals. If you must post, post after you leave the gym and mix up when you post so no one knows exactly where and when you work out. If you don’t care about others knowing your schedule, the person next to you might.
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Kurt’s key takeaway
People have a lot of strong feelings about phones in workout spaces. While most aren’t trying to harass or intimidate those around them with what feels like an innocent workout selfie or video, some people are mocking other gym goers on social media — a terrible form of bullying that needs to be stopped. While some are looking for an escape from the perpetual feeling of being observed and potentially recorded, some gym goers say having a camera recording their workouts makes them feel safer when the gym is empty, or they’re working out alone.
You should absolutely be proud of keeping fit in your workout spaces. While documenting your progress can be a healthy part of it, it is important to be mindful of when, where, and with whom you are doing it. Who knows? Maybe not documenting every workout can create a better workout experience for yourself.
Do people filming their workouts bother you? Why or why not? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact
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When Oregon resident Isabelle Reksopuro heard Google was gobbling up public land to fuel its data centers in her home state, she didn’t initially know what to believe. “There’s a lot of misinformation about data centers,” she said. “Google has denied taking that land.”
Technically, she explains, The Dalles, a city near the Washington state border, sought to reclaim that land, “and Google is just a big, unnamed power user.” The city had in fact asked for ownership of a 150-acre portion of Mount Hood National Forest, claiming it needs access to Mount Hood’s watershed to meet municipal needs as its population — 16,010 as of the 2020 census — grows. But critics, including environmentalists, say the city is trying to secure more water for Google, which has a sprawling data center campus in The Dalles that already consumes about one-third of the city’s water supply.
This controversy made Reksopuro curious about the backlash to data centers being built in other communities. So Reksopuro, a student at the University of Washington who studies the connections between tech and public policy, decided to map it out. Using information collected by Epoch AI and data scraped from legislation on data centers, she built an interactive map tracking AI policy around the world. She designed it to be simple enough for anyone to use. “I wanted it to be something that my younger sisters could play through and explore to understand what are the data centers in the area and what’s actually being done about it,” Reksopuro said. She hoped to shift their opinions that way, “instead of like, through TikTok.”
Four times a day, the map searches for new sources and checks them against the existing database Reksopuro built out. “Once it does that, it will write a new summary, add it to the news feed, and populate it on the sidebar,” she said. “I wanted it to be self-updating, since I’m also a student.”
Reksopuro isn’t against data centers, but she thinks tech giants benefit from a lack of transparency around data center policies. “Right now, it’s this really opaque thing — and all of a sudden, there’s a facility,” she said. “I think that if people knew about data centers beforehand, it would give them leverage. They would be able to negotiate: ask for job training programs, tax revenue, environmental monitoring, things to improve their community.”
UCF commencement speaker Gloria Caulfield (University of Central Florida via Storyful)
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TOUGH CROWD: During a recent commencement ceremony at the University of Central Florida, a speaker was met with loud boos from the graduating class after declaring that artificial intelligence represents the next industrial revolution. Fox News Digital reporting captures this tense cultural moment, illustrating the mixed public sentiment and skepticism surrounding AI’s growing footprint in daily life.
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FBI Director Kash Patel listened as Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche spoke during a press conference at the Department of Justice on April 28, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
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ROAD HAZARD: Waymo is issuing a sweeping recall of its autonomous vehicle fleet following a concerning incident that highlighted significant safety issues with the self-driving technology. Fox News Digital reporting outlines the specifics of the recall, the nature of the safety flaw, and what this setback means for the future of fully autonomous transportation on public roads.
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OpenAI CEO Sam Altman speaks during the 2026 Infrastructure Summit in Washington, D.C., on March 11, 2026. (Kylie Cooper/Reuters)
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Microsoft Edge is adding a new feature that will allow its Copilot AI chatbot to gather information from all of your open tabs. When you start a conversation with Copilot, you can ask the chatbot questions about what’s in your tabs, compare the products you’re looking at, summarize your open articles, and more.
In its announcement, Microsoft says you can “select which experiences you want or leave off the ones you don’t.” The company is retiring Copilot Mode as well, which could similarly draw information from your tabs but offered some agentic features, like the ability to book a reservation on your behalf. Microsoft has since folded these agentic capabilities into its “Browse with Copilot” tool.
Several other AI features are coming to Edge, including an AI-powered “Study and Learn” mode that can turn the article you’re looking at into a study session or interactive quiz. There’s a new tool that turns your tabs into AI-powered podcasts as well, similar to what you’d find on NotebookLM, and an AI writing assistant that will pop up when you start entering text on a webpage.
You can also give Copilot permission to access your browsing history to provide more “relevant, high-quality answers,” according to Microsoft. Copilot in Edge on desktop and mobile will come with “long-term memory” as well, which can tailor its responses based on your previous conversations. And, when you open up a new tab, you’ll see a redesigned page that combines chat, search, and web navigation, along with the Journeys feature, which uses AI to organize your browsing history into categories that you can revisit.
Meanwhile, an update to Edge’s mobile app will allow you to share your screen with Copilot and talk through the questions about what you’re seeing. Microsoft says you’ll see “clear visual cues” when Copilot is active, “so you know when it’s taking an action, helping, listening, or viewing.”
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