As I sit here as a co-pilot in the growing and evolving business that is DuckByte, I am in an almost constant state of positive overwhelm. With every AI art gallery we produce, the level of overpowering joy I experience in viewing the images is intense.
Have you ever suffered from Cute Aggression?
What do you say? ….Aggression is not cute!
Hear me out as I humbly argue that it is and it isn’t.
True, most of the time aggression is far from cute, quite the opposite really. However, “Cute Aggression” is when you see something so cute that you just want to eat it up or pinch its little cheeks, and it is a very real human experience.
According to Wikipedia
These super intense positive emotions upon seeing something cute can sometimes overwhelm us to the point where we experience a mixture of both positive and negative physical sensations almost simultaneously. For example, think about a person who laughs so hard that they literally start crying—
(I’m guilty).
The science-y word for this “dysregulated physiological response” is called “dimorphous expression.” Apparently psychologists to this day continue to investigate this phenomenon through various studies where they expose people to death-defying cuteness.
Well, I think we can all agree that saying I am suffering from those overly large academic words when I see a baby chick is not very descriptive… or fun.
Thus the phrase Cute Aggression came into popular culture in 2013 after psychologists Rebecca Dyer and Oriana Aragón presented their team’s early research on the topic at a professional symposium.
Clearly there was a growing need in our world to describe this very real physiological response and thus a new baby phrase was somehow born into our vocabulary.
So what does all this have to do with AI and DuckByte?
Well let me tell you, as I sit here as a co-pilot in the growing and evolving business that is DuckByte, I am in an almost constant state of positive overwhelm. With every AI art gallery we produce, the level of overpowering joy I experience in viewing the images is intense. And I am sure I am not the only one.
Sharing some of these AI art images in social media posts has indicated that others get equally drawn in too, like a bunny to a dandelion, they just want to eat it up.
It’s almost supernatural how visceral the effect of AI art is. In the world of popular language, I am convinced that it is just a matter of time before another new phrase is born, one that will describe the indescribable experience you get when viewing AI Art.
So this brings me now to the ducks. If I recall in my mind it started as a spark of an idea I had while unemployed and cleaning my pool. I imagined how cute it would be to have a rubber ducky floating in my pool to make a tiresome job seem more fun. Without even thinking it a valid business brand, I tossed it out to my now business partner Paul and it somehow stuck.
I can look back now and perhaps blame the phenomenon of cute aggression which has turned into an inability, at least on my part, to get enough delicious ducky cuteness.
Sometimes I think Paul is ready to take a break from the ducks. But let me tell you, I’m ready to take him to the mat for those ducks. Because not only am I suffering from some undefinable other worldly effect of the AI art, I am also suffering from a near-terminal case of cute aggression.
Please visit my favourite Duck Moon AI Gallery, it may be the first born (and cutest) AI gallery of DuckByte.
“PS – from Paul:
It’s my understanding that the primordial source of this phenomenon in our culture was the widely shared experience of watching Drew Barrymore in E.T., although the term used to describe her at the time was “terminal cuteness.” Linguistic usage changes over time, but the adorable quality of a brood of Anas Platyrhynchos following their mother across a street is forever.”
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