Proceedings of the International Conference on Social Sciences
Year: 2024
DOI:
[PDF]
The Anthropocentrist and His Posthuman Cat
Eugen Istodor
ABSTRACT:
A study by the American Humane Association highlighted a new domestic order: the pet becomes a family member. The arguments supporting this claim are compelling: 80% of pet owners talk to their animals and are certain that they understand their needs. 65% of owners let their pets sleep in their beds. 60% of owners buy gifts for their pets on Christmas and birthdays. Valentine’s Day is celebrated with a cat or dog in the absence of a human partner. And family photos that include the pets are not forgotten either (cited in Mihăilescu V., 2013:57). Pets now share almost everything humans have: gourmet food, stem cell treatments, assisted birth, hotels, babysitting, pet spas, mud baths, religious services, cemeteries, yoga, gadgets, furniture, inheritances. This human-pet relationship intensified during the pandemic (2020–2023). There are over 5 billion Google searches related to “The risk of animals spreading SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, to people is low.” Google Trends statistics mark an “explosion” in the search for a “companion” to ease anxiety brought on by isolation due to COVID-19 (Ho & all, 2021). “It’s not that cats and dogs have entered the family, but rather that the family has opened its doors for animals to become members. We are, thus, in a new domestic order. And this new family order is no longer based solely on ‘blood’; it no longer boils down to a contract. The idea of separating humans from nature was preached, but in fact, it’s a reestablishment of a lost order.” (Mihăilescu V., 2013). Online journalism and social media posts create and amplify the social trend and the “emotion” sparked by feline elements. We are in a posthuman era (Braidotti, 2016), the era of “paradoxical happiness” stemming from hyper-consumption (Lipovetsky, 2007). Thus, the cat, without having a say, has gone viral. With just a click, it enters the emotional mosaic of users and pet owners alike.
A portrait of the “new domestic order” will be outlined by researching online contexts, as well as navigating through social codes, social psychology, and the marketing of products dedicated to pets.
keywords: Posthumanism, Cat, Hyper-consumption, Social Media, Marketing