Pet influencers are on the rise
Let me set the stage: I launched my UX design-focused Instagram account in December 2022. By then, I’d already been creating videos for 18 months and collecting over 1.5K TikTok followers and 1K YouTube subscribers.
I’m telling you this for comparison.
Because by May 2023, my UX design account had only attracted 80 followers.
I had to hit the pause button on it. It was a huge time-sunk with little payoff.
The audience?
Mostly men, who seemed more interested in my looks than my expertise. Don’t get me wrong, compliments are nice, but I was there to educate, not flirt.
Fast forward to September 2023, I created an Instagram account to document Lego, my four-legged fur baby’s adventure.
In just 2 weeks, she doubled the follower count of my design account.
No, she didn’t become an overnight sensation, but she reached 100 fans faster than I ever did.
Yes. My dog outshines me on Instagram!
Instead of wallowing in self-pity, I started digging and found hundreds of pet accounts with thousands of followers.
Most pet owners were even smart enough to build a business around their beloved pets. These pet-content-based businesses leverage the power of emotional connection when people watch and interact with these cute videos.
I know I can’t help but smile when I see a cute animal.
In my day-to-day life, I do research. Naturally, I couldn’t resist diving deep into this topic.
Here’s the revelation: on social media, a cat video can get millions of views, while an educational post is lucky to scrape together a hundred likes.
Instagram and other social media platforms are designed to keep us in a ‘feel-good’ bubble, making it easier for Lego, the toy poodle, and other pet entertainers to thrive over educational content.
When we grab our phone to scroll through social media, we signify to our brain that the day is done, work is done, and now we’re ready to relax.
Of course, people aren’t going to watch design videos. They want easy, digestible dopamine boosters. And all social media platforms are like dopamine vending machines.
A cute puppy video is a quicker hit than a 57-second-long educational explainer.
Our human brain is wired for instant rewards, making it more likely for people to engage with pet content.
Why would they invest time in an educational video when they can get an instant mood lift from a puppy doing cha-cha-cha?
I know where I made a mistake with my short-form video accounts. I kept way too many clothes on and showed no cleavage. I was already too old for that!
I hope you get my sarcasm.
People avoid educational content to not appear too nerdy or too boring in their social circles.
Nobody wants to be the person who shares UX design videos in a WhatsApp group chat filled with the latest memes & trends coming from TikTok and Insta Reels.
People convince themselves that watching pet videos is a form of self-care, easily justifying their time spent on social media.
I’ve been there before!
I certainly justified that 1-hour baby panda video marathon as my mental health time.
But we all know that spending more time on screen is the opposite of self-care.
Have you ever been a fan of any kind of reality TV?
My guilty pleasure is watching The Kardashians. There’s always drama and excitement without any intellectual commitment. I just love the show!
Following a pet account is similar to following a reality TV series.
You get invested in the daily antics of Noodles the pooch.
This dog has over 800K followers! Yes, I admit, I’m also one of her followers.
People love binge-watching a reality show where the stakes are low, but the entertainment is high.
Pet content is universally relatable, whereas educational content often appeals to a more niche audience, creating a ‘class divide’ on social media.
Watching a video about a puppy breaks down barriers such as age, race, language, and even educational background.
Many people use pet content as a form of escapism from the harsh realities of the world, including the responsibility that comes with education.
I have no doubts my dog’s Instagram account will reach 1K in just a few months. The milestone that I worked for over a year on YouTube.
My puppy offers a convenient escape from reality in a world filled with bad news. Something that I couldn’t offer with my design educational content.
Don’t blame the players; blame the game — or, in this case, the algorithm that decides what you see.
Social media algorithms are the real puppet masters, manipulating our feeds to prioritize low-value content (e.g. puppy videos) over educational material.
People connect with pets on an emotional level, often more than with another human they’ve never met.
I sure find a puppy much cuter than some random guy on Instagram.
This experience has been eye-opening, teaching me that sometimes, simplicity and authenticity win over curated professional content.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to take some more pictures of my dog because we have an audience to entertain!