A Conceptual Framework of Smartwatch Usage in Outdoor Recreation Activities: A Topic Modeling and Qualitative Inquiry

Smartwatches have become increasingly prominent in outdoor recreation, offering various functions to support users’ outdoor experiences. This study examines how smartwatch users utilize, perceive, and attribute meaning to their devices in outdoor recreation activities. Using a mixed-methods approach, we analyzed 17,192 Reddit posts and 50,772 comments through topic modeling and conducted semi-structured interviews with 14 smartwatch users who regularly engage in outdoor activities. Topic modeling identified frequently discussed activities (e.g. cycling), functions (e.g. calorie tracking), and concerns (e.g. battery life). Qualitative interviews uncovered that users negotiate facilitating with disruptive characteristics and identify four main uses of smartwatches in outdoor: navigation and safety monitoring, health management, tracking physical activities, and communication and coordination. These uses facilitate leisure participation but also lead to “quantified leisure,” encouraging self-surveillance and performative leisure through shareable performance metrics and gamification. Conversely, the social features can promote cooperative leisure. This finding offers practical insights for recreation management.