Recently, I was reading an article about how pets are going to become the next big social media influencer. But will this work? Are people willing to switch their loyalties from people like the Kardashians to cute and fuzzy animals?
Well, I can't speak for everyone, but for me the answer is yes. I am a huge animal person, especially dogs. I love dogs. There is nothing that puts me in a better mood than seeing a dog. In fact, I follow two separate dog accounts on Instagram, which is a big deal for me. Usually, I only follow accounts that I think are funny or if I know the person behind the account. But the dogs are just so cute that I can't help myself. I think that this cuteness could be easily used to manipulate consumers into buying products. At least, I know that I am more likely to register or respond positively to an advertisement if there is a cute animal, especially a dog, in it as a focus. But I don't just think it's me. I think that a lot of people would enjoy it more if more cute animals had a larger social media presence.
But is this exploitation of the consumer ethical? Well, no not really. However, I don't feel that it is very unethical, just slightly unethical. Other forms of advertising are far more manipulative, so I guess it's fine. I am also much more okay with this manipulation because it means I get to look at more animals. I realize that I should probably be a lot less okay with this than I am, but the animals are REALLY cute.
Here is a link to the article: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/06/03/loni-edwards-agent-for-pet-stars-on-social-media.html
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