The Instagram Trend That Plants Trees For Every Pet Photo – Explained

10 November 2021, 15:29

By Capital FM

@CapitalOfficial

Why is everyone posting pet photos on Instagram stories? Here's everything we know about the latest social media trend.

If you frequently scroll through your Instagram stories, then you may have come across the latest trend taking the platform by storm.

Social media users have all jumped on the 'pet picture' bandwagon after a feature on the app vowed to plant a tree for every photo posted of a furry friend!

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The trend quickly went viral with snaps of cats, dogs, hamsters and more flooding onto our screens.

But are trees really being planted? Who started the pet/tree mania? Here's the trend explained...

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What is the tree for a pet photo trend? Who started it?

A sticker found on the Instagram stories feature went viral after it claimed that they'll "plant one tree for every pet picture"

On the platform, stickers can be small images or gifs you can add to a story post, on November 1st Instagram allowed users to create their own in a new update.

The 'Add Yours' feature allows profiles to create their own stickers for public use – this was used by an eco-friendly profile to spread awareness on climate change.

There was some confusion amid the trend, with some questioning whether Instagram was behind the sticker – but the nature charity, Plant A Tree Co, claimed responsibility for the viral sensation.

Plant A Tree Co put out a statement on Tuesday: "We posted the new “Add Yours” story as a fun tree planting campaign where we can show off our awesome pets on Nov. 2nd!"

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Plant A Tree Co. (@plantatreeco)

Are trees actually being planted for every pet photo?

As millions of users shared their favourite furry friend pictures, it soon became clear that planting over 4 million trees was beyond the realms of possibility.

Plant A Tree Co put the rumours to rest, writing: "We immediately realized the post would grow too big and that we didn’t have the resources to plant that many trees, so we deleted it 10 minutes later.

"Even though we deleted it, a week later out of nowhere the stories continued to spread out of our control, reaching millions of reposts."

Unfortunately not every adorable pet snap has led to a new tree but the organisation has started a fundraiser for Trees For The Future – a charity dedicated to ending hunger and poverty.

So don't worry, the media storm has done some good in the world!

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