Sending cat GIFs helps build social connections without you even realising
Researchers at Concordia University may have solved the mystery of our addiction to animal content on the Internet. — AFP Relaxnews
The photos of clumsy kittens and chubby pandas that flood our news feeds are often dismissed as mere digital distractions. However, a Canadian study, published in the Journal Of Consumer Research , reveals that sharing animal content online goes far beyond simple entertainment. It forges genuine digital affective networks and strengthens our social relationships.
Researchers at Concordia University may have solved the mystery of our addiction to animal content on the Internet. According to them, sharing these photos and videos creates what they call "digital affective encounters', moments when your heart melts in front of your screen.
More surprisingly, these seemingly innocuous gestures function as markers of affection in our social relationships. It's a bit like penguins offering pebbles as small tokens of affection to potential mates. Except that in this case, the pebble is a GIF of a kitten falling into a box.
The scale of this digital trend is surprising. "The creation, consumption and circulation of animal photos has become a social phenomenon," says study coauthor Zeynep Arsel, a professor in the Department of Marketing at the John Molson School of Business, quoted in a news release. "It has gone well beyond animals advertising animal products."
In other words, gone are the days when Fido was only good for selling dog food. Today, a cute animal can generate likes, shares, and "awwws' – an emotional currency far more valuable than euros.
To understand this mechanism, the researchers analysed user behaviour on Instagram in detail. They interviewed content creators, animal page managers and their followers, while drawing on their own digital behavior toward their four-legged friends. This survey reveals a three-step process that transforms an animal into a social media star.
The path to a viral hit
The first step is "indexicalisation', which involves transforming your pet into personal content. A cute hashtag, a little costume, or an affectionate caption is enough to imbue the image with emotion. This personalisation breathes life into the owner-pet relationship in its digital representation. Sharing this content with loved ones is effectively a form of "pebbling'.
Step two is "re-indexicalisation'. As the content circulates on social media, it takes on new meanings. Friends add their own references, creating a common language that only the group understands. This step forges a parasocial relationship between the viewer and the animal. For example, you might become genuinely attached to your neighbor's cat without ever having seen it in real life.
The final step is "decontextualisation'. Content curators remove personal references to reach a wider audience. They replace personal references with universal cultural references, transforming a private photo into a viral meme that speaks to everyone.
This mechanism goes far beyond the animal world, points out Zeynep Arsel. Whether with mouthwatering photos of food or cute pictures of children, the principle is the same. "This paper has societal implications in the sense that it explains something that we do very often and usually without question," the researcher says.
In other words, our little daily exchanges hide a social mechanism that is more complex than it appears. Every viral cat video reveals our fundamental need to connect and express our emotions. It proves that even when we are immersed in the digital world, we remain deeply social beings – beings who happen to use corgi memes to communicate. – AFP Relaxnews
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