Biological Garden is a website that contains a wallpaper background of what they call “The biological garden.” It’s basically a graphic that consists of 42 different plants and their associated leaves. Each plant has its own unique name and color, so it’s easy to tell them apart. The text on the bottom designates the plant as either eaten by mammals or insects. This blog post discusses the issue of biophobia and how social media may contribute to it in some people.

Biophobia is the fear of plants, generally. People with this phobia may be afraid to go outside or even see any greenery around them. Implied and explicit biophobia has been found in a number of different types of media. Television commercials, movies, and even video games are all agents some people use to spread biophobia.

Fear is an extremely powerful motivator; it makes people work harder in order to satisfy their apprehensions, and these methods are no different. By using subtle issues in common scenarios, people can better understand the purpose and concept of a given product or service.

For example, one commercial shows a man having the common issue of not liking bugs near him. He is allergic to their bites, so he has to move around when they get too close. In this commercial, he holds a can of Raid on his lap and then begins to jump in the air as a bug passes by. He uses the spray to kill the bug and then continues with his day.

Another example of biophobia can be found in media such as “Surf’s Up”. In this film, there is a scene where Cody Maverick jumps into water after hearing something behind him. He surfaces and finds out it was only a bird, but the rest of the audience quickly analyzes that dove as an actual threat and begin running away from him.

Another reason people are afraid of plants is because they can become a nuisance or even pollute the environment. In this case, people will avoid these plants unless they are absolutely necessary. For example, there is a scene in “Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle” where the two main characters are covered in dirt and have to clean themselves off.

As they walk through the city streets, people on their cell phones begin swiping their screens in order to look at their pictures for no reason whatsoever. Harold and Kumar soon steal a fourth person’s phone so that he can use it and upload his picture as well; however, he is also covered in dirt and needs to clean it off as well.