I agree there are a lot of normalised addictions, including the modern trend of counting every step, heart rate beat, times you go in the bathroom and even sleep analysis so you can compare to your friends.
No? So maybe don't call it an "addiction" if you want words to have any meaning.
It’s a bit unfair to ask whether OP wants words to have any meaning when it seems you’re a bit fuzzy on the definition of “addiction” yourself.
Wikipedia: Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to use a drug or engage in a behaviour that produces natural reward, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences.
> a: exhibiting a compulsive, chronic, physiological or psychological need for a habit-forming substance, behavior, or activity
> b: strongly inclined to do, use, or indulge in something repeatedly
If one looks at the Oxford English Dictionary, one sees:
> a state of dependence produced either by the habitual taking of drugs or by regularly engaging in certain behaviours (e.g. gambling).
No specific requirement for negative consequences, just a habit.
If addiction is not a psychological or physical dependency with harmful or destructive consequences, what should we call those that do?
The American Psychiatric Association has this to say about addiction, which tells me they view addiction as something worth fixing and hence is harmful: https://www.psychiatry.org/getmedia/e25c07ae-7333-4466-9add-...
A third of the diagnostic criteria for substance addiction are about negative effects in the person's life. Perhaps it's not strictly a requirement but often it's only a question of time.
Others have linked to various respectable dictionaries that support my definition.
i don’t know enough to endorse all their medical claims, but you can get a sense of their experience.
you can see that for them and others, an addiction-like compulsion to exercise (including literally counting steps) was a big part of it.
‘I Am Obsessed With Taking 100,000 Steps A Day,’ Woman Says https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkhD0Lo-fxk