#1
The above-mentioned examples highlight how quickly eye-popping, too-good-to-be-true rumors can spread in times of crisis. People are drawn to sharing posts that make them emotional. "When we're feeling stressed, joyous," Natasha Daly wrote in National Geographic, "Animal footage can be an irresistible salve. The spread of social phenomena is so powerful, 2016 research shows that it can follow the same models that trace the contagion of epidemics."
Getting a lot of likes and comments “gives us an immediate social reward,” Erin Vogel, a social psychologist and postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University, said. In simple words, when people notice and react to our content online, we feel good. Posting on social media temporarily boosts one's self-esteem.
"In times when we're all really lonely, it's tempting to hold onto that feeling, especially if we're posting something that gives people a lot of hope," Vogel added. The idea that animals and nature could flourish during this pandemic "could help give us a sense of meaning and purpose—that we went through this for a reason."
But before we start calling ourselves 'viruses' that 'infect the Earth', it's worth mentioning that 100 companies across the globe are responsible for 71% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. And while it's true that our own actions contribute to the well-being of our environment, without any significant changes in the way these big companies operate, there will likely be no noticeable change or "cure".
#9
