Rebecca Manzi What is a dog doing on top of the Great Pyramid of Giza? It's something that almost everyone online is wondering after a video of him went viral. But why so much fuss?
@Wikipedia
This amazed online viewers in the past few days: a white and brown dog on top of the Great Pyramid of Giza. A man is flying by paragliding with a motorized parachute above the Great Pyramid; while he was flying over the structure, out comes the four-legged companion.
The strange encounter has gone viral; it struck up discussions and piqued curiosities across numerous social media platforms. But what is the story behind its popularity? Several elements explain why this sighting is one that raised so much ado.
An Iincredible image that captures the imagination
First of all, the picture is amazing: a dog on one of the most ancient, known monuments in the world, a place hardly reached even by humans. Of course, the whole strangeness and unexpectedness of the event surely played a key role in spreading it. Such a surrealist picture nourishes the collective imagination, helps people share it with ironic or amazed comments.
Another reason this story went viral is because of the eternal fascination with Ancient Egypt. The mystique and mythology that surround the pyramids continue to mesmerize the modern mind. Even references to the dog spotting the mythological figure of the god Anubis draw more proximal connections to this modern incident with Ancient Egyptian history.
How this news was perfectly designed to go viral in a hyperconnected world
Besides, here the emotional component, which is paramount, should not be forgotten. Ever since it went viral, people speculated about the poor dog-how did it appear on the pyramid, and most importantly, could it get down safely? Concern for an animal’s fate started to trigger empathy; hence, the story went more viral. Sensitivity towards animals is one of those themes that tends to attract much attention in virtual space; hence, shares and comments flow like a river.
This was also a viral sensation due in large part to the medium in which it was presented: a video. Motion garners attention much more than a static picture, and being able to witness the dog on top of the pyramid itself added much to the story.
Who filmed the video?
But here comes yet another juncture. The video first appeared on X, formerly Twitter, through a post from ABC News, then was transferred in quick succession to other sites. At this point, none of these questions can be answered with full certainty: when the footage was shot and by whom. The video has not been authenticated, raising our deepest question: did it really occur, or is this a cunningly doctored video?
News international
Continuing our analysis of how this story went global, the last but not least important point is the universal appeal of the story and cross-cultural importance of the event. Pyramids are a cross-culture universal symbol, known in every culture; the view of a dog on top of them sparked reactions from many countries. This was further aided by the speed at which social media spreads information.
