The Internet Is for Cats: How Animal Images Shape Our Digital Lives

The Internet is for Cats examines how animal images are used to create a lighter, more playful mood, unite users, and respond to common experiences of life under neoliberalism. It combines observations, textual analysis, and interviews with people who create, post, and share animal media to understand the roles that animals play within online economies of cuteness and attention.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 254 pages
Publication date: 14 October 2022
Publisher: Rutgers University Press

The Internet is a vast repository of adorable animal images, ranging from cute cats and dogs to otters, pandas, and even more exotic creatures. However, what motivates people to create and share these images, and how do they relate to other online social practices? In her book, "The Internet is for Cats," communication scholar Jessica Maddox explores these questions in depth.

Maddox argues that animal images are used to create a lighter, more playful mood in online spaces, which can otherwise be fractious and toxic. She places today's pet videos, photos, and memes within a longer history of mediated animal images, considering the factors that make them unique.

One of the key themes of Maddox's book is the role that animals play within online economies of cuteness and attention. She explores how animal memes and videos respond to common experiences of life under neoliberalism, such as economic uncertainty, social isolation, and environmental degradation. Maddox conducts a rich digital ethnography, combining observations and textual analysis with extensive interviews of the people who create, post, and share animal media.

These include TikTok influencers seeking to make their pets famous, activists tweeting about wildlife conservation, and Redditors upvoting every cute cat photo. Maddox's book will leave readers with a new appreciation for the human social practices behind the animal images they encounter online.

In conclusion, "The Internet is for Cats" is a thought-provoking and insightful book that sheds light on the role of animal images in online social practices. Maddox's digital ethnography provides a rich and detailed account of the people who create, post, and share animal media, and her analysis offers a new perspective on the ways in which animals are used to create a lighter, more playful mood in online spaces.

Weight: 50g
Dimension: 216 x 140 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781978827912