The Process of Felinization in the Digital Age: the Utilisation of Cats as a Strategy for the Formation of a New Identity

Abstract

The contemporary cultural practices associated with animals give rise to a novel dual concept of corporeality and sensuality. The growth of consumerism in accordance with the feline model of consumption gives rise to the formation of a society where the characteristics associated with the feline species become the prevailing norm. In light of the above, it seems pertinent to examine the strategies of social felinization and to identify the symbolic repressive markers that maintain it, as evidenced in viral cat content. The examination of the most prevalent feline-themed materials on the post-Soviet Internet reveals that the digital representation of cats is primarily shaped by human characteristics, rather than those inherent to the animal itself. This gives the digital cats a subjectivity that is more akin to that of humans. The increasing anthropomorphisation of cats and the felinization of humans has resulted in the emergence of a dystopian world characterised by the “cat police”. In this context, the cat assumes a more prominent role than its human counterpart, thereby conferring upon it the authority to exercise control and impose punishment. However, the methods of control and punishment employed by the “koshchichkina” remain flexible and adaptable to changing corporeality and sensuality, expressed through ironic memes, short videos and clips. The findings of this research can be incorporated into an interdisciplinary study of the mechanisms of identity formation of the modern man and the formation of a new canon of his sensuality and corporeality.