I originally joined Reddit in 2011, and in the beginning it was dominated by cat content. It was rare to see a post about dogs. Sometime in the mid 20-teens this phenomenon reversed. It’s always been a “pet theory” of mine that this reversal was due to Reddit becoming mainstream, and that it’s initial nerdy/techie user base preferred cats to dogs.
I think my theory is further supported by Lemmy. It’s pretty clear that most of Lemmy’s user base are techies, and currently it’s dominated by cat content. Just a shower thought. May be wrong.
NOTE: I love dogs and cats. This post isn’t arguing favoritism.
Very interesting observation. Alternative theory: cat vs dog prevalence corresponds with users who live in rentals vs owned homes (homeowners or people living with their parents, etc). Cats are often the only animals allowed in rentals. It’s often not until you buy your own home are you “allowed” to have dogs.
But I think this still follows from what you suggest. People living in rentals are often younger (and more attentive to tech and culture generally, so more likely to be early adopters) and/or often live in big cities which obviously have higher percentages of tech workers than rural areas. When you say reddit went mainstream, that could mean more older people joined (more likely to be homeowners) as well as their kids (living at home with the family dog).
In my very scientific survey of me, I rented for a long time and had cats, and loved cat posts. One day I got old and bought a house and a year later got a dog. Now I like dog posts more.
I’ll go now, I’ve given this far too much thought.
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Lol fair enough! I’ve never been at a place that allowed dogs, only 1 cat (with extra deposit). I’ve seen some places that allow dogs under 30-40lbs, but I’m not interested in those kinds of “dogs”.
Why do you put “dogs” in quotes? Do you not think they’re actual dogs? Why would you gatekeep a species?
Wait, didn’t you hear? You must be part of the lucky 10,000! Scientists discovered last year that dogs under 35ish pounds are actually classified as birds!
Does that mean puppies are actually chicks and that puppies can evolve from bird to dog in a single life? Does this mean that small dogs, like other birds, aren’t real?
The implications of this are endless, thanks for the insight!
I know it’s hard to believe, but bare with me. Puppies are actually lizards. It’s a weight thing. They don’t have enough gravitational pull to keep their own internal heat, so they need to absorb it from the sun. You’re probably wondering why they’re okay indoors, but that’s because the light molecules reach them through the air.
Source: I read a LOT of /r/shittyaskscience back in my day and I remember how this works trust me.
Secondary Source: Scientists.
Tertiary Source: When I say scientists I actually mean the Bible.
Quaternary Source: When I say the Bible, I really mean the voices in my head.
We need a grand unified pet theory.
You understand that young people who joined digg, then migrated to Reddit are quite older today, right?
Fair, but with this housing market higher than average number of millennials are still renting.
That’s a really interesting thought. I’m in a STEM field so definitely understand the importance of correlation VS causation.
I just think it’s a fascinating phenomenon. I remember Old Reddit was like 100% cats, and at some point a switch flipped. Lemmy reminds me of old Reddit in more ways than one, including this one.
I posted a theory that dog owners are out and about doing things with their dogs and have less time and fewer hands free to make and post photos but I like yours better.
There may be an American bias here, where owning your home has more chance to mean having a garden compared to EU, which is more adapted for a dog.
r/BlueHeelers, r/RedHeelers & r/ACD were my copium for not having enough space for one and I miss it a lot
I really want a heeler but I’m not subjecting those guys to a small apartment when they needs acres.