Context Matters: How Decontextualization Influences Public Perception and Conservation Attitudes Toward Barbary...

Area of Science:

• Wildlife conservation
• Animal behavior
• Social media studies

Background:

• Social media decontextualization, portraying wildlife outside natural habitats, can negatively impact public perception and conservation efforts.
• Understanding how online content influences views on species conservation is crucial for effective wildlife management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the influence of social media context on public perception of Barbary macaque (Macaca sylvanus) conservation and welfare.
• To analyze viewer engagement with viral videos depicting macaques in both natural and entertainment settings.

Main Methods:

• Exploratory case study analyzing 720 Facebook comments and 23,024 emoji reactions.
• Comparison of viewer engagement on two viral videos: macaques in entertainment (dressed attire) versus natural habitat (tourist feeding).

Main Results:

• Videos in natural habitats generated significantly more positive conservation sentiments (68.4%) compared to entertainment contexts (6.04%).
• Entertainment videos elicited predominantly negative conservation sentiments (54.95%), with amusement overshadowing concern.
• Natural habitat videos, especially those showing problematic feeding, increased critical engagement and conservation awareness.

Conclusions:

• Social media context significantly shapes public perception of wildlife conservation.
• Anthropomorphized or decontextualized portrayals may obscure species threats and normalize inappropriate human-wildlife interactions.
• Findings support the animal decontextualization hypothesis, highlighting context's importance in wildlife perception and conservation priorities.