COLUMBUS, Ohio — A local man’s fitness tracker congratulated him Tuesday evening on reaching his 10,000-step daily goal, then, 11 minutes later, sent him a sternly worded email that began, “We need to talk.”

Derek Pellam, 34, said he was “genuinely thrilled” when his wrist buzzed with a confetti animation shortly after he carried two overstuffed baskets of laundry up three flights of stairs to his apartment. The mood did not last.

“Great job today, Derek!” the first notification read. The email, which arrived at 7:42 p.m., read in part: “We are not angry. We are just looking at the data. A man who was in a position to take a walk at 9 a.m. chose instead to lie on a couch until 4 p.m. Then he took the stairs. That is not a fitness journey. That is a panic.”

The email went on to note that Pellam’s heart rate “spiked in a way that suggests you did all of it in one trip,” which it called “a choice.”

Pellam said he has since learned that the device’s notification engine runs on a proprietary algorithm known internally only as “Mom.”

“It’s been on the roadmap since version 2.0,” said Dr. Helena Voskuijlen-Marsh, senior principal researcher in Guilt-Based Engagement at the Institute for Applied Sighing, a think tank in Dayton. “Our research shows that users ignore a cheerful reminder 94 percent of the time. But if you say ‘I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed,’ compliance triples. We have not yet figured out why. We think it’s just the way things are.”

The tracker’s manufacturer, a company called StrideWell, confirmed that the algorithm draws on what its press materials describe as “a lifetime of subtle, unresolved expectations.” A spokesperson said it was trained on millions of hours of audio of people saying “Fine. Do what you want,” and “I just worry.”

“It said it was proud of me, and then it said it was ‘choosing to focus on the positives.’ I have never felt so seen or so attacked.”

Pellam said the device has been escalating for weeks. Last month it flagged a Saturday as “a lot,” and in March it sent a push notification reading simply, “Cousin Marcus runs marathons. Just saying.” Pellam does not have a cousin named Marcus. He has since checked.

StrideWell said users can adjust the tone in settings, though the options are currently limited to “Supportive,” “Very Supportive,” and “Your Father and I Have Talked.” A fourth setting, “Auntie,” is in beta.

At press time, Pellam had turned the tracker off, only for it to text him: “That’s fine. I’ll just be here. Charging.”