WHEN Tim Lee Bernes - inventor of the World Wide Web - was asked what most surprised him about the way his invention has been adopted 25 years on, his answer was simple: “kittens.”
That we choose to spend our time browsing cat videos, pornography and online shopping sites says something. But what?
It’s little wonder. Despite giving us access to pretty much anything we want - with a slew of celebrities admitting to porn addictions as a consequence - it’s pussies of a very different kind that most internet users are concerned with.
Amongst the breaking news and humanitarian crises that dominate internet searches, you’ll astonishingly find ‘cats’ as one of the most-searched keywords; leading to the New York Times once describing them as ‘the essential building block of the internet.’
Cat celebrities abound, with the likes of Grumpy Cat and Simon’s Cat to name just a couple, and an entire subculture has developed around LOLcat memes. Even Downing Street has entered the fray; with the chief mousers’ comedic Twitter accounts (Larry @Number10cat and Palmerston @DiploMog) boasting over 130K combined followers. Videos of moggies, meanwhile, are amongst the highest-viewed content online.
Why? Cat voyeurs may find the question obvious but its answer is more complex and has psychologists fascinated. Nor is it trivial: global patterns in how we use the internet provide a unique insight into the fears, desires and preoccupations of our age. That we choose to spend our time browsing cat videos, pornography and online shopping sites says something. But what?
Rui Matsunaga - Cat and Deer
Procrastination is the most obvious response. Escapism cuts closer to the truth. No matter how rubbish your day’s been, watching a video of a cat fail an attempted leap, or prancing about in a ridiculous outfit, seems to provide a mood boost that not even the most antioxidant-packed smoothie or newfangled supplements can provide. Scientific research backs it up; with evidence of reduced anxiety and increased positivity just some of the benefits.
In an age of instant gratification, the simplicity of cat videos is also a draw: always short, digestible and following the same trajectory of build-up, high-drama, punch line and close. Experts have theorised whether the ‘unintentional folly of these creatures on-screen appeals to a widespread desire for greater control in our lives – while laughing at their anthropomorphication massages an innate sense of superiority.’ It boils down to more than just being funny, in other words.
According to critics, the on-screen element is important too. Not only does it have a higher comedic value than real life, the internet is often an inherently lonely and isolating place: responding to the same video that 12,000 other viewers have enjoyed makes you ‘in’ on the joke and part of a community.
Simplicity, community, escape: basic, age-old human wants that the internet, with all its catty content, both nourishes and intensifies at once. No wonder we’re hooked. Now, PAPER Gallery has gone pussy galore - giving us somewhere other than the Cat Cafe to get our feline fill, with artists including gallery owner David Hancock exploring this modern phenomenon with a series of works on paper.
Get your claws in.
The Cat Show is at PAPER from 12 November - 17 December: 20 Mirabel Street, M3 1PG
