The Influence of Social Media on Pet Owners' Perceptions of Pet Funeral Services

Abstract

With the rapid growth of the number of pets and the pet economy in China, pet funeral services have become an important industry. Meanwhile, social media platforms such as TikTok and RedNote have become key channels for pet owners to access content related to pet memorial services and funerals. However, few studies have investigated how these contents affect the attitudes and needs of pet owners. This study explores how social media content influences pet owners' perception and demand for pet funeral services. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six Chinese pet owners who had seen content related to pet funerals on social media, and a thematic analysis was carried out on the interview content. The research results show that social media plays multiple roles: it is the primary exposure, influences price perception, guides service selection, and in some cases can also generate distrust. Furthermore, all participants indicated that people without pets often fail to understand their sadness, which echoes the concept of disenfranchised grief, where pet loss is often not socially recognized. This study contributes to understanding the relationship between media exposure and consumer attitudes in the emerging pet funeral industry, and offers insights for improving public communication strategies.