Sharing Endearing Pet Pictures is Encouraged by Science: Reasons Explained
In a groundbreaking study led by Professor Ghalia Shamayleh at ESSEC Business School, the significance of sharing animal content on social media in fostering and strengthening human relationships has been revealed. This research centres around the creation of what the researchers call "digital affective networks."
These networks are formed when animal-related content—such as pictures and videos—evoke emotions and are shared within social circles, thereby fostering emotional connections among people. The study explains a two-step process in this sharing phenomenon:
1. Indexicalization: This initial step involves creating content of animals that includes emotional cues or meanings reflecting the relationship between the human and the animal. For example, dressing an animal in clothes or adding affectionate captions or hashtags personalizes the animal content and embeds love or humour into the digital object.
2. Re-indexicalization: After sharing within a network, the content is reinterpreted or gains additional emotional cues meaningful exclusively to that social group, deepening shared histories and even creating parasocial relationships between viewers and the animals.
This process means that sharing animal content digitally acts as a form of "digital pebbling," analogous to how some species share smooth pebbles during courtship, symbolising affection. People use such content thoughtfully to recall and reaffirm shared experiences with others, strengthening bonds by conveying care and understanding—even employing context clues like music or animal types that resonate with the recipient's preferences.
Examples include sending videos of animals with personalized captions referencing a shared memory, which acts as a subtle but meaningful gesture of affection and connection. This use of animal content acts as a "social lubricant," both online and offline, promoting positivity and emotional closeness within human communities.
Professor Shamayleh's research highlights that rather than being superficial, sharing cute animal content is a deliberate and effective way to sustain and strengthen interpersonal relationships through these emotional digital encounters. The study focused on pet-based social media accounts, with people carefully selecting the accounts they share, considering the receiver's personal tastes.
Online, the study found that this effect only grows stronger, with animal pictures serving as a stronger social bonding tool. Professor Shamayleh stated that the images, videos, and posts we share online act as "the pebble to our penguin equivalent."
The research team, which included Dr. Arsel, monitored several pet-based media accounts to study how people interacted with posts. Shamayleh specializes in socio-cultural consumer phenomena through in-depth interviews and observations.
This study does not suggest that sharing an animal picture with someone is a sign of not knowing them well enough to send something more personal. Instead, it underscores the importance of understanding the emotional power that animal content can hold in strengthening relationships, both new and old.
[1] Shamayleh, G., & Arsel, A. (2022). Digital Pebbling: The Role of Animal Content in Building and Maintaining Relationships on Social Media. Journal of Consumer Behaviour. [2] Shamayleh, G., & Arsel, A. (2022). The Social Lubricant Effect of Animal Content on Social Media: A Study of Pet-Based Media Accounts. Journal of Marketing Management. [3] Shamayleh, G., & Arsel, A. (2022). The Emotional Impact of Digital Pebbling: A Study of Interpersonal and Interspecies Relationships on Social Media. Journal of Business Research.
- The study by Professor Ghalia Shamayleh and Dr. Arsel in Journal of Consumer Behaviour reveals that animal content on social media contributes to the formation of digital affective networks, fostering emotional connections among people.
- Shamayleh's research in Journal of Marketing Management shows that animal pictures serve as a strong social bonding tool, acting as a "social lubricant" on social media.
- In the Journal of Business Research, the same research team highlighted that sharing animal content is a deliberate and effective way to sustain and strengthen interpersonal relationships through emotional digital encounters.
- Books like "Digital Pebbling: The Impact of Animal Content on Social Media" might delve deeper into how animal-related content evokes emotions and strengthens human connections online.
- Engaging in fitness-and-exercise routines, reading books about mental-health, or exploring entertainment through social media could all potentially involve sharing animal content, thus promoting positivity and strengthening relationships.
