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Images and videos of domestic cats make up some of the most viewed content on the World Wide Web. ThoughtCatalog has described cats as the "unofficial mascot of the Internet".[1]
The subject has attracted the attention of various scholars and critics, who have analysed why this subject has reached iconic status. Although it may be considered frivolous, cat-related Internet content contributes to how people interact with media and culture.[2] Some argue that there is a depth and complexity to this seemingly simple content, with a suggestion that the positive psychological effects that pets have on their owners also hold true for cat images viewed online.[3]
Research has suggested that viewing online cat media is related to positive emotions, and that it even may work as a form of digital therapy or stress relief for some users. Some elements of research also shows that feelings of guilt when postponing tasks can be reduced by viewing cat content.[4]
Some individual cats, such as Grumpy Cat and Lil Bub, have achieved popularity online because of their unusual appearances and funny cat videos.
- ^ "Why The Internet Chose Cats". Thought Catalog. January 25, 2011. Archived from the original on June 21, 2016. Retrieved October 6, 2015.
- ^ Jones, Justin (August 9, 2015). "How Cats Took Over the Internet—And Became Art". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on October 8, 2015. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
- ^ "Comment: The fascinating, feel-good psychology of Internet cat videos". News. Archived from the original on August 30, 2017. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
- ^ Myrick, Jessica Gall (2015). "Emotion regulation, procrastination, and watching cat videos online: Who watches Internet cats, why, and to what effect?". Computers in Human Behavior. 52: 168–176. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2015.06.001. S2CID 16187524.