Hoping to solve the issue of late night eating, MetaReal, a food re-education company, has released a heavily connected virtual fridge lock. Though the device doesn’t lock your fridge per se, it’s still an effective deterrent to unnecessary snacking.
The device relies on social pressure to prevent clients from eating, and incorporates this by alerting the users various social media platforms of their late night raid. Sending a photo simply saying "This person just raided the fridge," the device seeks to shame clients for their bad habits. Certainly bound to attract some controversy, the virtual fridge lock could be an arguably good way to approach weight loss. Though perhaps a bit invasive, it’s a given that clients would know what they were getting into upon signing up.
Social media-savvy and more than a little bit shaming, the virtual fridge lock is an undeniably creative weight loss solution. Though it may not catch on in the long run, MetaReal deserves some credit for an interesting approach to supporting their unsupervised clients.
Snack-Snitching Devices
MetaReal’s Virtual Fridge Lock is a Diet-Friendly Tattletale
Trend Themes
1. Virtual Accountability Devices - The trend of utilizing connected devices to hold people accountable for their health decisions and behaviors, using social pressure and shaming tactics as motivators.
2. Social Media-enabled Health Programs - The trend of tapping into the power of social media to increase awareness and engagement in innovative health programs like MetaReal's Virtual Fridge Lock.
3. Personalized Health Coaching - The trend of adopting personalized coaching strategies that focus on individuals' unique needs, like food re-education offered by MetaReal.
Industry Implications
1. Health Coaching - This industry can incorporate virtual accountability devices to offer personalized support with measurable outcomes to their clients.
2. Connected Home Devices - This industry can create innovative devices that help people improve their health by promoting accountability and healthier lifestyle choices in the home.
3. Social Media Platforms - This industry can partner with health programs to create engaging social media-enabled solutions that motivate and incentivize people to make healthier choices.