Human Behaviour in the Digital Age: Lessons from Don't F**k with Cats�Author: James Oliver Beckett-Dunn�

• “Good [morning/afternoon], everyone. Today we’re diving into a fascinating case study: the documentary Don’t F**k with Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer. Beyond the true crime narrative, it offers a window into how human behaviour, psychology, and social dynamics operate in digitally mediated environments.”
• “Please watch the Trailer before we begin and viewer discretion is advised.”

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Digital behaviour and the documentary.�“Why does a digital environment make ordinary people act in extraordinary ways? That’s what we’re here to understand.”��

• “The documentary follows an online community tracking a criminal who posted videos of animal cruelty.”
• “This story is compelling not just because of the crime, but because of how the community interacted, collaborated, and sometimes overstepped.”
• “Our goal today is to explore key behavioural patterns, ethical questions, and social dynamics illuminated by this case.”

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Performance & Recognition

• “A striking pattern: the perpetrator’s actions were not private they were performed for an audience. The goal was attention, recognition, and validation.”
• “This aligns with theories of narcissism and external validation: actions are rewarded not just by personal satisfaction, but by audience reaction.”

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Community Identity�Key Point: “Digital platforms don’t just host behaviour—they shape it.”�

• “The online community mirrored this. Participants adopted identities as ‘investigators’ or ‘defenders of justice.’”
• “Identity here is socially constructed and reinforced—through collaboration, discussion, and shared moral purpose.”

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The Power of the Crowd

• “The community demonstrated remarkable collective intelligence: pooling skills, spotting patterns, analyzing clues.”
• “Yet the same mechanisms can amplify errors. Emotional intensity and lack of formal oversight led to misidentifications and false accusations.”

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Duality of Collective Action

• “Collective action can produce extraordinary outcomes or dangerous errors—sometimes both simultaneously.”
• “Digital platforms accelerate this duality: rapid communication and shared focus enhance effectiveness, but also risk impulsivity.”

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From Curiosity to Commitment

• “Initial engagement is often casual, sparked by shock or moral outrage.”
• “Over time, cognitive, social, and emotional reinforcement create a deep sense of ownership.”
• “Participants start seeing themselves as essential contributors—disengagement becomes psychologically costly.”

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Reinforcement Mechanisms�Key Insight: “Obsession is not just individual it’s socially and technologically mediated.”�

• Social: Validation through feedback and recognition.
• Informational: Occasional breakthroughs keep participants engaged.
• Emotional: Anger, urgency, and moral purpose amplify attention.

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Moral Conviction vs. Risk

• “Digital vigilantism blurs the line between justice and harm. Participants often act with good intentions, but without formal accountability.”

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Key ethical issues

• Legitimacy: Decisions made outside legal systems.
• Responsibility: Difficult to Diffuse and difficult to attribute.
• Harm: Misidentification and unintended consequences

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Emotion in Ethics

• “Strong emotions like anger or empathy drive action—but can cloud judgment.”
• “Ethical ambiguity arises because actions are understandable yet potentially harmful.”

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Attention as Currency

• “Attention drives behaviour: likes, shares, and views act as immediate feedback.”
• “The perpetrator’s escalation was shaped by audience response in a form of performance behaviour.”
• “The online community unintentionally amplified the behaviour they sought to stop highlighting a paradox in the attention economy.”

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Platform Amplification

• Algorithms prioritize emotionally charged content.
• Rapid, repeated exposure sustains engagement and intensifies participation.
• Fake news spreads 6 times faster than true news.

Amplification of Human Tendencies

• “Digital platforms don’t create new behaviours they amplify existing ones.”
• “Desire for recognition, pursuit of justice, and formation of collective identity are intensified online.”

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Implications for the Digital Society

• Rapid community formation
• Intensified engagement
• Blurred boundaries between observer and participant
• Greater potential for both problem-solving and collective error
• Takeaway: “Digital technology accelerates and magnifies fundamental human tendencies.”

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Key Takeaways

• Identity, obsession, and collective action are mediated by technology.
• Ethical responsibility is complex in digital spaces.
• Attention functions as both motivator and amplifier, creating self-reinforcing loops.
• Understanding these dynamics is essential for managing digital behaviour responsibly.

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Final Thought

• “Don’t F**k with Cats isn’t just a true crime story it’s a case study of human behaviour in the digital age. By analyzing individual actions, community dynamics, and technological influence, we can better navigate the opportunities and risks of our connected world.”
• “Thank you, are there any questions?”

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