Sex, Bugs and Rock ‘n’ Roll: Insects in Music Videos

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Music videos were examined on YouTube for insect content. The types of insects shown, the year of issue, and themes were recorded. The most common insects seen in music videos were butterflies and moths. Bees, ants, and wasps were the second most common, while beetles, spiders, flies, and grasshoppers/crickets were tied for third place. Insect music videos are becoming increasingly common, perhaps because the total number of videos being issued is also increasing. Large numbers of insects were common in about one quarter of the videos, while insects with human features were in about one fifth. Giant insects were seen in only one twentieth of the videos. Many insect music videos and their associated songs have been very successful, with ten number one songs and four music video awards. Animation of various types was used in many insect videos, while live footage and photographs allowed identification of many of the insects. The types of insects shown, the themes represented and the success of insect music videos seem to indicate that human attitudes toward insects are trending toward more positive values, especially relative to those in early horror films, which were exclusively designed to convey horror. ABSTRACT: The appearance of insects in music videos was examined. The most common taxa observed were Lepidoptera, then Hymenoptera, with Coleoptera, Araneae, Diptera, and Orthoptera essentially tied for third most represented. Insect music videos have increased in frequency over time, probably as an artifact of industry growth. Swarms and infestations were common in insect videos (appearing in 26%), as were chimeric insectoid humans (19%), and, to a lesser extent, giant insects (5%), but not all of these representations were used to induce horror. Some insect music videos have garnered awards, and many of the songs associated with them have been very successful. There were many animated insect sequences, but also images of specimens that were sufficiently detailed to allow identification of the species. The insect groups observed reflect both positive and negative values. There is some indication that insects are not viewed in such a negative light as they once were, providing hope for improving attitudes of humans toward insects.