Cute animal photos on the Internet are to people what pebbles are to penguins
Not everything is bad on social networks, with cute animal photos often taking center stage. Two researchers have analyzed how they spread – and why.
(Image: @rick_the_hedgehog)
When people share cute animal photos on social networks, they establish and strengthen relationships in a similar way to how some penguin species give each other pebbles. At least that is how two researchers who have scientifically investigated the practice describe it. The publication, distribution and dissemination of cute animal photos form the basis for "digital, affective networks" in which relationships are built on the basis of content that lifts the mood. It is a social phenomenon that is about much more than the animal photos themselves, explains co-author Zeynep Arsel.
Three steps to a meme
As the two researchers explain, they have identified three steps in which the spread of animal photos on Instagram & Co. can be divided. In the first step, which they call "indexicalization", an image or short video of an animal is given an emotional reference or meaning in order to make their own relationship to it clear. For example, the animal could be dressed in clothing, a hashtag could be added to the image or affectionate language could be added. If the result is then shared, this corresponds to the so-called "pebbling" of penguins. The birds distribute selected pebbles to attract mates.
Videos by heise
If an animal photo is further shared online and further information is added, this is known as "re-indexing". This happens in a social network on the basis of shared stories and simultaneously deepens the parasocial relationship between the people and the animal depicted. Decontextualization is in third place. This involves removing personalized information from the image in order to reach a wider audience. Accounts that embed culturally relevant references, for example, or tap into the zeitgeist or pop culture references, would then achieve the greatest reach. Some images would then become memes.
For their work, the researchers from Concordia University in Montreal spoke to people who participate in such processes online and contributed their own expertise. The study has now been published in the Journal of Consumer Research. The analysis is relevant because it can explain something "that we do very often and normally don't question at all", explains Arsel. Even though the study was limited to animal photos, the results are likely to be transferable to other content with positive connotations, say the researchers, pointing to photos of delicious food or cute children, for example.
(mho)
