Social connectivity for inclusion, motivation and belonging

This short piece is being published to mark the launch of miMove 3.1. We are so excited about the new social connectivity features in the upgrade. We continue to use and apply tech to support young people in ways never done before. If you would like to take a closer look and discuss using miMove in your school, simply click here to book a video call at a convenient time.

1. What is it about social media that captures the attention of (young) people?
2. Young people use social media to post, share & like their experiences and those of their friends. Does that include their experiences of physical activity?
3. What can we learn from social media and apply to sport, PE and PA to support the universal goal of equipping all young people with a positive and long-term relationship with physical activity?

A few years ago, we began to be very curious about these questions. We still are. They led us down a line of inquiry that culminated in miMove. Our journey to date started by making a simple app that, when used by students, delivered unprecedented data to teachers in an easy to access format. Many exceptional and reflective teachers have been using this data to improve their work. It has served to centre the student like nothing else has. Their voices are heard, and evidence is easily available to see if what they do in school is having the stated impact of encouraging them to do more.

We were fully aware that the early versions of the app were a bit ‘dry’. Nevertheless, we have overcome the biggest challenge of realising an idea and we are now working hard to make the app brilliant for the young people who use it as well as the schools who benefit from the information that students share.

Version 3.0 was launched in January with a raft of new features. Feedback has been excellent like this from a Head of PE in a North London Secondary School…

“The number of pupils actively logging and talking about what they have been doing is phenomenal and you can see it's building a positive relationship with physical activity.”

Version 3.1 has just been launched and we are tremendously proud and excited that we have returned to the initial questions and built an app that draws from the best of social media. Before explaining why and how this is  both exciting and innovative, we want to explain how we have  eliminated the worst elements of social media.

It remains of paramount importance to us that the app can only be used for good and never to cause harm. To deliver on this we have built in 2 layers of controls: at the school level and at the user level. These are just a few of the controls in place: 

• Schools can decide which students within the school are discoverable on the app.
• When young people connect, there are no invites sent to be accepted or declined. 
• Friends can tag each other and view each other’s activity feeds (based on security settings). 
• Students can only  react positively to others’ activity posts with emojis. 
• They cannot  send messages or photos/videos

We have created an app that is the first in the world to expressly deliver on the questions posed above. We are expecting this to have a significant impact on enhancing the way young people view and engage with physical activity. 

And here’s why…

1. We are social creatures especially during adolescence. It is important to young people to feel connected to their peer group and to conform to group norms. Nudge theory tells us that we do not like being in a minority. A young person seeing that all their friends have been active should serve to motivate them to be active too. This is particularly important for cohorts we are told are less active. If we take young people who identify as girls, for example, the school can manage discoverability so that girls in year 8 can see all the other girls in year 8 and 9. Seeing young people who are like them (but a little year older) serves to normalise activity. We also know that for young people who are not into sport, this is far more inspirational than turning to elite sportspeople as our active role models. We want to prompt conversations like – ‘I never knew you did Karate. I’ve always wanted to try that. Can I come with you?’ followed by (to the parent) ‘Mum, Amina goes to Karate, can I go with her? We  can get the bus together.’ These are real world solutions for real life challenges.
2. miMove validates all activity. Being active is being successful - irrespective of the level of performance or the reasons for doing the activity. As such, using technology in this way boosts inclusion. It creates a digital space where everyone can feel safe and good about what they are doing.
3. To add to that, we’ve built in functionality that allows students to applaud and celebrate each other’s efforts in ways that they find relatable and relevant. This again, is motivating and will support all students to be more active, especially those who are currently less active and who feel a sense of dis-belonging. With their friends, they can develop their own active identity.
4. Social media is often associated with dangers and harm. As mentioned above, we’ve stripped these out leaving only  the many benefits and it is these we are leveraging to support students to be more active: it is relevant, playful and exciting. Young people can’t collect points and likes from a (hard copy) activity diary!
5. The social connectivity we have built encourages  young people to support each other in a kind and caring way. Sending a high five emoji to a friend who has posted their activity makes both the sender and receiver feel good. Connecting emotionally with physical activity also supports students developing an active identity.

The above  outlines the rationale behind the social connectivity upgrade built into miMove 3.1. Anyone who is committed to supporting students lead a physically active life, in the present and the future, now has a powerful, accessible and affordable digital tool to give much needed support to achieve this challenging aspiration. miMove compliments your work. Use this link to book a demo so that you and your students can reap the extensive benefits that miMove brings.