I tried to make my dog go viral on social media it taught me more than I expected

"Eddie sits at a cafe dressed in a turtleneck and blue beret. On a scale of 10-10, rate how good I look, the caption to his post reads. The socialite's page is full of candid content: enjoying a doughnut at a popular Melbourne brunch spot, relaxing in a chic robe and celebrating a paid staycation at the Hyatt House in Melbourne, adorned in a leopard print outfit. Eddie has almost 50,000 likes on Instagram, his own brand discounts and an Amazon store."

"As a person who owns a dog and uses the internet, I have not been immune to the attractions of propelling my pet to fame. This has sent me to some dark places, including briefly signing up my labrador to a pet modelling agency that yielded no results and was probably a scam. But one thought has always persisted: how hard could it be to make him famous on social media? Is this my ticket to endless riches? And could I go it alone?"

"Over a short period, I would devote myself to newly created Instagram and TikTok accounts for my dog, Murphy. The goal? Popularity and virality (paid sponsorships, of course, were out of the question). I started with research, which involved scrolling the accounts of Australian pet influencers who had already made it and making a series of dot points that included: outfits, appearance of wealth, smiling and dog has a job/skills/talent."

Eddie, a chihuahua sporting fashionable outfits, accumulates tens of thousands of likes, brand discounts and an Amazon store by presenting candid, lifestyle content. The pet influencer market has become lucrative and crowded. A dog owner attempted to make their labrador Murphy famous by creating Instagram and TikTok accounts focused on popularity and virality without paid sponsorships. The owner researched successful Australian pet influencers and compiled tactics such as outfits, signs of wealth, smiling and assigning a talent or job. With limited tricks and modest costumes, the strategy shifted to emphasising Murphy's mischievous charm while confronting practical and creative constraints of producing viral content.

Read at www.theguardian.com