“I. Am. Crying. Of. The. Level. Of. Cuteness”: Representations and Reactions to the Illegal Slow Loris Pet Trade on Social Media
| dc.contributor.author | Parent, Gabrielle | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2019-05-03T16:13:05Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2019-05-03T16:13:05Z | |
| dc.date.copyright | 2019 | en_US |
| dc.date.issued | 2019-05-03 | |
| dc.description.abstract | Over the past several years, slow lorises, a group of endangered primate species found in Southeast Asia, have fallen victims to the illegal primate pet trade. Slow lorises do not fare well in captivity, as they are nocturnal animals, have a specialized diet, and are venomous. Yet, these small primates have appealing physical appearances which propels their popularity in the pet trade and on social media. Captive and pet slow lorises have been featured in viral videos across media platforms, such as YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook. This research explores the online representations and reactions to the illegal slow loris pet trade, specifically on Facebook. This paper reveals the online perceptions of Facebook users through analysis of their comments on conservation videos, which call for the end of the trade, and viral videos that depict captive pet slow lorises. This project draws on digital anthropology, primatology, and provides an anthropological perspective on conservation. This research seeks to produce comprehensive and meaningful results towards understanding individuals’ online perceptions about the slow loris illegal pet trade, conservation and sustainability efforts. This research contributes to the significant gap in anthropological knowledge on this topic and develops our understanding of the ways in which social media can impact the conservation of animals. | en_US |
| dc.description.reviewstatus | Reviewed | en_US |
| dc.description.scholarlevel | Undergraduate | en_US |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/1828/10850 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | en_US |
| dc.subject | Slow lorises | en_US |
| dc.subject | en_US | |
| dc.subject | comments | en_US |
| dc.subject | illegal pet trade trade | en_US |
| dc.subject | charismatic microfauna | en_US |
| dc.subject | primatology | en_US |
| dc.subject.department | Department of Anthropology | |
| dc.title | “I. Am. Crying. Of. The. Level. Of. Cuteness”: Representations and Reactions to the Illegal Slow Loris Pet Trade on Social Media | en_US |
| dc.type | Honours thesis | en_US |