Who watches Internet cats, why, and to what effect?

Anecdotes abound about the frequent use of the Internet to view cat-related media. Yet, research has yet to seriously address this popular culture phenomenon rooted largely in social media platforms. It is possible that viewing of online cat media improves mood, but this activity may also foster negative outcomes linked to using the Internet for procrastination. The present survey of Internet users (N = 6795) explored the correlates of viewing “Internet cats,” motivations for consuming this media, and its potential effects on users. It also tested a conceptual model predicting enjoyment as a function of the relationships between procrastination, guilt, and happiness. Results reveal significant relationships between viewing and personality types and demonstrate conceptual nuances related to the emotional benefits of watching Internet cats.

While digital marketing analytics and news accounts demonstrate that cat videos and images are very popular, little is known about the nature of the typical online cat-viewing experience. Critical-cultural scholars have discussed the ability of online cat videos to generate pleasure and positive affect and to promote interaction with audiences (O’Meara, 2014 and Shafer, 2014). However, empirical analysis that assesses the details surrounding who, why, and how Internet users consume online cat videos and other cat-related images is lacking. That is, how long do Internet users spend with this type of content? What websites do they turn to for it? Do they seek it out purposefully or encounter it in the course of other online activities? Do they engage with so-called celebrity cats or are they more interested in everyday felines? Does interaction with Internet cats overlap with consumption of media related to Internet dogs or other animals? These questions combine to suggest a first research question asking what, exactly, is the nature of online cat-related media consumption (RQ1).



Internet users may seek images and videos of adorable or humorous cats in order to dissipate negative emotional states or to keep up their positive spirits. Anecdotal evidence supports this supposition. The Twitter account “Emergency Kittens” states in its profile description that its Twitter feed is designed “[f]or when you need a kitten (or other type of cat) to cheer you up!” (Emergency Kittens, 2014). The Apple iTunes Store offers consumers the opportunity to download a free application called “Cute cats – cheer you up!” (iTunes, 2015). There is even an Internet meme called “Cheer Up Cat,” which depicts an orange tabby cat that appears to be winking and smiling at the viewer (Quickmeme., 2015).

In addition to mood management motivations for viewing online cat-related media, news accounts suggests that many people watch cat videos online to avoid work or unpleasant tasks (FlorCruz, 2013 and Garber, 2012). While online cat media is generally humorous or adorable, it may bring with it hedonic pleasures but little educational or utilitarian gains. Research on general motivations for media use also points to procrastination as a reason why individuals watch entertainment media. To procrastinate is to “voluntarily delay an intended course of action despite expecting to be worse off for the delay” (p. 66, Steel, 2007). If viewed during work hours, Internet cats may be thought of as a form of “cyberslacking,” where people use media for personal purposes during work hours (Vitak, Crouse, & LaRose, 2011). Even after work hours, entertainment media may be motivated by a need or desire to procrastinate. Reinecke et al. (2014) found that after a draining day at work or school, individuals in their survey turned to entertainment media as a way to procrastinate. Media use as a form of procrastination, in turn, was related to increased feelings of guilt for having not done more important or meaningful tasks.


Fig. 1. Conceptual model. Note: The model predicts that viewing entertainment media as a form of procrastination will be positively related to post-viewing guilt, which will subsequently decrease perceptions of enjoyment of the content. However, the positive emotional benefit of viewing the entertainment content (i.e., post-viewing happiness) should moderate the relationship between guilt and enjoyment such that higher levels of happiness decrease guilt’s negative impact on enjoyment.

In addition to Reinecke et al.’s (2014) work, research on media use as a form of “guilty pleasure” has examined how reality television show consumption is driven by voyeurism (Baruh, 2010) and how a lack of self-control is correlated with higher levels of digital media use and stronger feelings of guilt (Panek, 2014). However, these studies have not tested the role of positive emotional reactions to entertainment media, such as happiness, as a moderator of the guilt–enjoyment relationship. Vorderer (2001) argues that viewing entertainment media is a largely pleasant and joyful experience. As such, the positive emotional benefit from consuming positively valenced entertainment media, like Internet cats, could moderate the relationship between post-viewing guilt and decreased enjoyment such that higher post-viewing happiness would lead to more enjoyment than when the viewer experiences less joy after media consumption (H2). See Fig. 1 for a conceptual model configuring these variables in a moderated-mediation relationship.

This study also provided empirical support for the existence of mood management motivations for viewing online cat-related media. Levels of each self-reported negative emotional state measured in the study were lower and levels of each positive emotion were higher after viewing Internet cats. Moreover, emotion-related variables predicted a significant portion of the variance in enjoyment of online cat media. Beyond hedonic implications for viewing Internet cats, the data indicate that the excitatory potential of the content can also reduce depletion and energize viewers. Additionally, those who enjoy real felines likewise seemed to enjoy mediated cats, showing the potential for semantic affinity to motivate Internet cat consumption. Conceptually, these findings are in line with mood management theory’s predictions about media selection. Future work could employ experimental designs to more directly test when and under what emotional circumstances Internet users turn to cat-related content. Analyzing meta-emotional states (Bartsch, 2008) such as what users feel about how they feel after viewing Internet cats, would likewise advance this line of inquiry by parsing out the nuances of what emotional states drive consumption of Internet cats.



Practically, these findings related to positive emotions and increased energy after viewing online cat media promotes the idea that viewing Internet cats may actually function as a form of digital pet therapy and/or stress relief for Internet users. In instances where individuals who could benefit from pet therapy are prevented from participating in such a program due to allergies or lack of funds, Internet cats may function as an alternative intervention. Future work is needed to test this supposition. Further comparisons between this type of media and other forms of positively valenced, lighthearted fair are also needed to assess if the results are unique to cat-related content. Nonetheless, the present results provide valuable insights as to the role of emotion regulation in the popularity of Internet cats.

Furthermore, this study replicated past work in that it found that when individuals view cat videos online instead of doing more important tasks they subsequently experience guilt, which can decrease enjoyment. However, this study advanced existing literature by examining the moderating effects of post-viewing happiness on the procrastination–guilt–enjoyment relationship. Based on the semantics, it makes sense that both positive and negative emotional reactions are involved in a “guilty pleasure” media experience, yet previous work in this are has focused mostly on the negative side of the equation—guilt. The present study advances theory in this area of entertainment research by demonstrating that both valences are important and can influence the outcomes. It also underscores the importance of studying multiple emotional reactions to media fare (e.g., Larsen et al., 2001 and Myrick and Oliver, 2014). The simultaneous experience of multiple emotions is a more complex phenomenon than looking at the impact of one emotional response to media on user perceptions, and the added nuance of looking at multiple discrete emotional responses can help improve the accuracy with which researchers can explain complex communication phenomena (Nabi, 2010).

doi:10.1016/j.chb.2015.06.001 www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563215004343