Garmin’s Social Badges Fumble

Sport watches are for training, not posting.

Long-time readers know I love my Garmin watch. I configured it with no notifications or connected features. I use it to tell the time, as an alarm that wakes me up but not my wife, and, of course, as a training guide.

I’m also a sucker for the gamified badges system. Intellectually, I know those badges are vacuous and inconsequential. But what can I say? Whatever personality trait makes kids want to complete the Pokédex and grown-ups collect badges—I must have it.

But despite my irrational drive to catch ’em all, there are two badges I will not be trying to get.

In April, Garmin users can win the April Likes badge by getting a total of 25 likes on their public activities and the April Photo Share badge by posting 3 pictures.

I appreciate Garmin shaking up their monthly challenges with something other than “run 5km this weekend, ride 40km the next, swim 1km the one after that,” but I have zero interest in fishing for likes.

If documenting your run with pictures and mile-by-mile breakdowns on Strava is your jam, then go for it. I actually enjoy reading the detailed breakdowns some of my friends post.

But for me, sharing workouts would dilute their value. It would add a status-seeking component to something I try to see as intrinsically valuable.

This goes back to one common topic on this blog: using technology with intention.

Whether it’s Garmin and Strava, Facebook and X, or LinkedIn and Substack, these are all tools that we should be able to use to our advantage. Opt-in to new features by decision, not by default.

I train for physical and mental health, not to share on socials. As such, I don’t share my workouts and I have no interest in the new Garmin social badges.

What about you? Do you exercise at all? If so, how?

Do you share your training on Garmin or Strava, or am I misjudging the extent to which people who exercise filter the experience through apps?

Keen to hear from you.