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Why we give our cats, dogs and other pets social media accounts

The Conversation · 🇦🇺 public Australia · · 886 words · By Renata Roma
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What to know about Why we give our cats, dogs and other pets social media accounts

The author, a researcher and clinician, examines the psychological and social motivations behind creating social media content featuring companion animals. The article discusses how these online behaviors reflect identity, social status, and the desire for community, while also highlighting the role of online spaces in managing pet loss.

Propaganda risk 10%
Claims checked 9
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center100%
Right0%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

If you use social media, you’ve probably noticed a plethora of animal photos — on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest and other platforms.

Why it matters

Some people dedicate accounts exclusively to their pets, with some of these animals gaining notoriety and wealth as “pet influencers.” Others share their daily lives through pictures of interactions with their companion animals.

Common ground

And the tech industry has responded with new platforms such as Petzbe and other apps and communities for pets and their families.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

The author, a researcher and clinician, examines the psychological and social motivations behind creating social media content featuring companion animals. The article discusses how these online behaviors reflect identity, social status, and the desire for community, while also highlighting the role of online spaces in managing pet loss.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://theconversation.com/why-we-give-our-cats-dogs-and-other-pets-social-medi…

analyticsAnalysis

10%
Propaganda Score
confidence: 95%
Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 9 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

verified Verified By Reference 3
info Single Source 3
check_circle Corroborated 2
help Insufficient Evidence 1
help
Claim 1: “there are now several Facebook communities entirely dedicated to pet loss, where memorial pages create a space for people to receive support after the death of a companion animal.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was gathered or provided for this claim.
verified
Claim 2: “Another study in 2020 also found that sharing photos of their cats on Reddit helped people strengthen their sense of identity and their sense of belonging to certain communities.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The evidence provided includes general information about Reddit and Instagram, but no specific 2020 study regarding cat photos on Reddit and identity/belonging was found in the results.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — r/The_Donald was a subreddit where participants created discussions and internet memes in support of U.S. president Donald Trump. Initially created in June 2015 following the announcement of Trump's 2…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R/The_Donald
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Reddit ( RED-it, stylized reddit) is a proprietary American social news website, news aggregator, forum and social media platform. Registered users (commonly referred to as "redditors") submit conten…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reddit
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On Reddit, a social news site, some communities (known as subreddits or subs) are centred around explicit, violent, propagandist, or hateful material. Many such subreddits have been the topic of contr…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controversial_Reddit_communiti…
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 3: “One 2021 study interviewed 23 people with pet Instagram accounts to better understand why they posted photos of their pets and dedicated so much time to it.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of irrelevant results about bowling alleys and general Instagram information. No evidence was found to confirm the specific 2021 study of 23 people.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Instagram is an American photo and short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters, be organized by hashtags…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instagram
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This list of most-liked Instagram posts contains the top 20 posts by number of likes on the photo and video-sharing social networking service Instagram. The most-liked post as of July 2026 is of the A…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most-liked_Instagram_p…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Aug 26, 2014 · Re: Bowling Alleys Posted by: chgojoearchitect (---.lightspeed.cicril.sbcglobal.net) Date: November 08, 2014 08:15PM I hope you don't mind me posting my childhood bowling alley that no …
https://forgottenchicago.com/forum/read.php?1,4386,page=6
+ 2 more evidence sources
info
Claim 4: “Twenty-eight per cent of pet guardians even spend money on their pets online accounts.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The search results provided are irrelevant (psychology of pets, UPSSSC PET exam, vet costs). No evidence was found to support the claim that 28% of guardians spend money on their pets' online accounts.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Why do some people treat their pets like children—and feel no shame about it?In this video, we explore The Psychology of People Who Treat Pets Like Children through neuroscience, attachment theory, an…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfZGI0SrVqo
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — UPSSSC PET Online Correction Form 2026. Author: Sarkari Exam Team Tag: 10th Pass Form.Candidates can submit their applications through the official recruitment link provided on the official Sarkari Re…
https://www.sarkariexam.com/upsssc-pet-2026/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Pet owners expected the care of their animal to take precedence over monetary aspects. They also expected veterinarians to initiate discussions of costs upfront but indicated that such discussions wer…
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/5826066_A_focus_gro…
info
Claim 5: “82 per cent in Canada feel the same.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The specific statistic (82% in Canada) is only found in one source ('Why we give our cats, dogs and other pets social media accounts'). Other results for Canada are general Wikipedia entries and do not mention this statistic.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the second-largest coun…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Canadians are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are col…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadians
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Cañada may refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cañada
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 6: “Thirty-five per cent of pet guardians have set up online accounts for their pets, according to one survey with 2,000 respondents globally.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The search results provided are irrelevant (detransition, pet obesity, NYC households, electric cars). No evidence was found for a global survey of 2,000 respondents regarding 35% of pet guardians creating online accounts.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — An electric car or electric vehicle (EV) is an automobile that uses electrical energy as the primary source of propulsion. The term normally refers to a plug-in electric vehicle, typically a battery e…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_car
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Pansexuality is sexual, romantic, or emotional attraction towards people of all genders, or regardless of their sex or gender identity. Pansexual people may refer to themselves as gender-blind, assert…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pansexuality
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — There is scientific consensus that the Earth has been consistently warming since the start of the Industrial Revolution, that the rate of recent warming is largely unprecedented, and that this warming…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_consensus_on_climat…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 7: “Ninety-seven per cent of pet guardians in the United States consider their pets to be family”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web sources explicitly state that 97% of Americans/pet guardians in the US consider their pets to be part of the family.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The president of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States, indirectly elected to a four-year term via the Electoral College. Under the U.S. Constitution, the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_presidents_of_the_Unit…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States of America is a federal republic consisting of 50 states and a federal district (Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States). The U.S. also possesses five major territor…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_states_and_territories…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic consisting of 50 states and a federal c…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 8: “the tech industry has responded with new platforms such as Petzbe and other apps and communities for pets and their families.”
CORROBORATED
Three independent web sources (App Store, Tracxn, and a general search result) confirm that Petzbe is a social media platform/app specifically designed for pet parents and families.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Petzbe is a social media app for pet parents and pet families of all ages. On Petzbe, you and your family can connect with other pet parents by sharing your pet’s life from their point of view through…
https://petzbe.com/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Platform.A safe, friendly social app and community for pet families Petzbe is a social media app for pet parents of all ages. Share your pet’s life from their point of view through photos, videos, pet…
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/petzbe-pet-social-media/id1314…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Petzbe is an app-based social networking platform or pet lovers. It enables users to create their profile using the images of dogs or cats and share their life stories. The app is available for iOS an…
https://tracxn.com/d/companies/petzbe/__O6V-d-AK49iKpjTERMRm…
info
Claim 9: “One interesting study of German-speaking Instagram from 2024 claims that these accounts may function as a space where people build a social discourse about an “interspecies” family.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim is explicitly mirrored in one web search result ('Why we give our cats, dogs and other pets social media accounts'), but no other independent sources confirm this specific 2024 study on German-speaking Instagram users.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — One interesting study of German-speaking Instagram from 2024 claims that these accounts may function as a space where people build a social discourse about an “interspecies” family. In this way, creat…
https://theconversation.com/why-we-give-our-cats-dogs-and-ot…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Climacteric: The Musculoskeletal Syndrome of Menopause (2024).
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13697137.2024.2…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Take off with Indira Paganotto's signature psytrance set from the A380 stage at Cercle Festival 2024.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTkS-zWOQVU
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.