Stargazing cat
You can’t miss the fact that the internet is full of cats. Every corner of it is full of them. Internet cats, such an unlikely feature but so popular. Which leads to the question why exactly is the internet full of cats? Lets try and unravel it.
The humble house cat, the silent companion who un-demandingly shares the lives of countless people has a long history that is richly portrayed in art, literature, poetry and even Broadway shows. Worshipped in antiquity these noble and inscrutable creatures have commanded fear, respect, reverence.
And then the internet arrived and thousands of years of civilization were thrown away and cats became an entertainment. The internet cats were born. A serious time diversion. As any internet savvy person knows it is almost impossible to go anywhere online without stumbling on funny cat videos, cat gifs, LOL cats, cats in costume, cats portraying actors in movies and much more. Even established respected publications and journalists can’t resist the urge to insert some lighthearted cat related post from time to time. Is it to show they are human, drive traffic to their website, or just a respite from who knows what?
Why exactly is this so? What has turned the much loved, yet often maligned cat into a mere entertainment medium? A quick Google of why the internet loves cats so much displays over 42 million search results! Yes, 42,000,000. If half of these results are not strictly on subject, or hiccups from Google that still leaves roughly 21,000,000. That is a lot of writing and research. If you have ever wondered why the internet loves cats here is a little collection of articles covering the topic. Reading them explains the phenomenon and fascination.
The Republic: Why Do Cats Run The Internet? A Scientific Explanation
Mashable: The Million Dollar Question: Why Does The Web Love Cats?
Wired: How Cats Became Rulers Of The Interwebs
The Guardian: Why the Internet Loves Cats – Not Dogs
TechHive: Why Does The Internet Love Cats?
Washington Post: The Fascinating, Feel-good Psychology of Internet Cat Videos
All well and good with some excellent points. However, maybe it is a much simpler answers.
Maybe cats are so popular because people like to waste time.
Lots and lots of time.
