The rise of social media over the past two decades has completely transformed the way humans interact with each other, the way they communicate information, and even the way we treat our natural environment. While most discussions on social media focus on its impact on human psychology, politics, culture, or business, there is another dimension that is often overlooked: its impact on birds and animals. The world of wildlife may seem far away from the screens of Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, or YouTube, yet the connection between these platforms and our planet’s non-human creatures has become increasingly strong and often harmful. In many cases this connection is indirect, but its consequences are far-reaching. Birds and animals, both wild and domestic, are now subject to pressures caused by human behavior online. From promoting exploitative entertainment, promoting harmful trends, habitat destruction due to social media-driven tourism, to the spread of misinformation that changes the way people treat wildlife, its effects are profound and worrying.
To truly understand the ill effects of social media on birds and animals, we need to consider how technology has changed human behaviour towards them. Social platforms thrive on visuals. A video or picture of an animal can go viral in a matter of hours, garnering millions of views, shares and comments. But behind these viral moments lies exploitation, cruelty and ecological damage. Animals are forced to live in unnatural environments for content creation, birds are kept in cages to be displayed for followers, and wild creatures are dragged out of their habitats to satisfy the curiosity of online viewers. The pursuit of likes, shares and viral fame has fuelled a cycle of exploitation that is harming living creatures who cannot speak for themselves.
Another major problem is how social media promotes tourism and travel trends. People see exotic animals in photos and want to capture similar moments themselves. Platforms like Instagram or TikTok are filled with travel bloggers posing with elephants, swimming with dolphins, or holding exotic birds. While these images may look beautiful, the reality is often cruel. Behind those smiling photos are industries that exploit animals for profit, keeping them in chains, restricting their movement, or even drugging them to make them “safe” for human contact. Birds’ wings are often clipped so they won’t fly away when tourists hold them. Tigers are kept in tiny cages and forced to interact with tourists one-on-one for photos. This global demand, largely influenced by social media trends, has put immense pressure on animals who are stripped of their dignity and forced to live in unnatural environments.
The wildlife trade has also found new avenues through social media. Illegal trafficking of exotic birds and animals has been reported on platforms where sellers disguise their activity as “pet adoption” or “breeding services”. This underground market has expanded rapidly with the help of encrypted chats, hashtags and private groups. Its impact on animals is severe. Parrots, macaws and other colourful birds are smuggled out of their natural homes, often with many dying due to suffocation, dehydration or injury during transport. Exotic reptiles are captured and sold online to buyers who have little knowledge of their care, resulting in very high mortality rates. The harm is not just to individual animals, but also to entire species, which are facing population declines due to demand driven by social media trends.
There is also a psychological aspect to how social media changes perceptions of animals. When people see wild creatures being used as props for entertainment or fashion, they start to accept such behaviour as normal. A monkey dressed up in a comedy skit may seem funny to the audience, but in reality, that animal was likely beaten, chained or separated from its family to force obedience. Birds trained to perform tricks for short videos may be denied proper food and care, and live solely for human entertainment. The more people view, share and like such content, the more creators are encouraged to further exploit animals. This cycle desensitizes society to animal suffering, and makes cruelty invisible behind the bright screens of social media entertainment.
Another harmful effect arises from noise pollution associated with social media behaviour. Many people now visit forests, national parks or bird sanctuaries to record live videos, play loud music for reels, or use drones to take aerial footage. Birds and animals are extremely sensitive to sound. Constant noise disrupts their feeding patterns, scares them away from nesting areas, and in some cases, even causes them to abandon their young. Migratory birds rely on quiet, undisturbed places to rest during long journeys, but social media tourism disrupts these important resting places. For animals like elephants, whose communication relies heavily on sound waves and vibrations, constant human interference disrupts their natural behaviour and increases stress.
Drones, in particular, have posed new threats. Drones used by content creators to capture unique angles of wildlife often chase animals or fly too close to nesting birds. The sound and appearance of drones mimic those of predators, causing panic and disorientation. Some birds abandon nests altogether when drones approach, leaving eggs or chicks vulnerable to predators. Marine animals such as whales or seals become stressed when drones hover overhead, causing changes in their behavior. Social media rewards such footage with likes and praise, yet the hidden cost is animal suffering and ecological imbalance.
The rise of influencer culture has led to a rise in pet abuse. Cats, dogs, parrots, and even unusual animals such as hedgehogs, raccoons, or snakes are used as characters in online content. While some pet owners genuinely care for their animals, many others prioritize viral fame over health. Pets are dressed in costumes that restrict their movements, forced to participate in fear-inducing pranks, or placed in unsafe environments simply for the sake of laughs. Birds may be kept in small cages under bright lights for hours during recording. Some animals are forced to eat inappropriate foods for comedic effect, causing long-term health problems. These practices may seem harmless or amusing to viewers, but for the animals involved the exploitation itself compromises health and happiness.
Social media has also fueled unrealistic expectations about pet ownership. Viral videos of exotic pets such as owls, foxes or wild cats create a sense of desire among viewers who want to replicate that lifestyle. Many people adopt or purchase animals without understanding their needs. Birds that need open space to fly are kept in small apartments, leading to depression and broken wings. Large dogs are purchased by people who cannot exercise them enough, resulting in behavioral problems. Exotic reptiles die because their owners do not follow proper temperature or diet. The influence of social media spreads a distorted view of what it means to care for an animal, often resulting in the animal’s suffering, abandonment or death.
Even in conservation spaces, social media has unintended consequences. Although awareness campaigns can highlight the importance of protecting endangered species, the constant flow of images and videos sometimes backfires. Rare birds photographed in their habitats attract a large number of tourists who want to see them in real life, thereby harming the fragile ecosystem. A single viral post about a tiger sighting can cause hundreds of vehicles to flock to a national park, trapping the tiger in stress-inducing human attention. In some cases, poachers even use location tags from social media posts to track and hunt animals. Thus, what starts as a well-intentioned act of appreciation towards wildlife ends in harm.
Light pollution caused by social media habits has also increased. People use artificial lighting at night to capture aesthetic photographs or make videos of animals. However, birds are significantly affected by artificial lights, especially during migration when they navigate by natural celestial cues. Many get confused and collide with buildings or stray off course, leading to exhaustion and death. Nocturnal animals such as bats, owls or fireflies lose their natural rhythms when exposed to constant artificial lights created for human social media aesthetics.
The psychological stress that the human obsession with digital fame puts on animals cannot be underestimated. Stress in animals manifests in a variety of ways: squirming in birds, refusal to eat, aggression, or self-harming behaviors such as feather plucking or excessive grooming in mammals. Social media-driven interactions, whether through pet influencers or tourist attractions, constantly place animals in unnatural situations. Wild animals that should roam freely are confined to small enclosures so tourists can take selfies. Birds are prevented from flying so they can quietly perch on shoulders for photos. Constant exposure to human behavior destroys their natural instincts and replaces them with conditioned, stress-induced behaviors.
In the marine environment, social media has popularized activities such as swimming with dolphins or diving with sharks. While these may seem like adventures, these animals suffer greatly. Dolphins used for interaction with tourists are often captured from the wild, separated from family, and forced to live in artificial ponds. The constant presence of humans stresses them, and their lifespan in captivity is much shorter than in the wild. Sharks that are baited for close contact become dependent on human food and lose their natural hunting instincts. Sea turtles are pulled out of the water by tourists to take photos, causing injuries and stress. Social media not only amplifies these harmful practices but also normalizes them by showing them as fun, harmless activities.
The culture of virality has also given rise to dangerous trends where animals are directly harmed for the sake of visuals. There have been cases of people filming themselves feeding animals inappropriate food, deliberately scaring them, or staging fights between creatures. Such content spreads rapidly on social media, desensitizing viewers and encouraging copycats. Birds are sometimes tied to wires and made to “dance,” while small mammals are thrown into water to record their reactions. These cruel practices are disguised as humor or experimentation, but the suffering endured by the animals is enormous.
The indirect impact of social media is also significant. The infrastructure that supports digital culture—data centers, unsustainable power use, and electronic waste—contributes to climate change. Climate change, in turn, affects birds and animals around the world. Rising temperatures disrupt migration cycles, breeding periods, and food availability. Melting ice threatens polar bears and seals, while deforestation to expand internet infrastructure is reducing the habitats of countless species. Although the connection may seem distant, the digital culture that feeds social media is part of a larger environmental burden that wildlife has to bear.
All these examples show that birds and animals, although not active participants in the world of social media, still suffer deeply from its effects. Social media has created a culture of constant display, where nature and living beings have been made objects for digital consumption. The desire for likes and followers often overrides compassion, responsibility, and ethical behavior toward animals. Whether through direct exploitation in viral videos, indirect stress from tourism, or environmental degradation driven by technological demands, the impact on wildlife is undeniable.
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