Why do we always assume the worst?

I'm writing this because something weird has been happening in my social feeds today, predominantly in Facebook groups, that I've seen before and wanted to just get some thoughts out. So it has been announced that Australian pet food brand Prime100 has been acquired by 高露洁 one of the largest consumer products corporations in the world. They already have Hill's Pet Nutrition and this acquisition is said to be part of their growth plans and an entry into the fresh pet food industry. Now, this news isn't weird it's standard practice in business and has been for decades, but what's been weird is the reaction I've seen on social media.

If you know me, you know I'm an obsessed dog mum to my beautiful boy Wally, and part of this means I've always been concerned about what I feed him. I've been cooking his meals for him since he was a pup. I've tried making raw food at home, but it's too much for me, and so now I regularly purchase from a wonderful brand called PipEats. But in my journey to find the best food for Wally that also works for me, I've tried many brands including Prime100 and I've joined a whole range of different groups on Facebook to help me be a better dog mum. The reaction I've seen to the news of this acquisition has been so weird. Most people are reacting like it's the worst news on the planet (and given the current state of the planet, it really isn't). The purchase has only just been announced or happened. There has been no action from it, except it's just under new ownership.

Most people seem to assume that this new owner means that instantly, the quality and standards that have made Prime100 so popular amongst pet parents will suddenly disappear with no evidence of any changes in the foreseeable future. I've seen these sorts of instant reactions to the news that has no further context before and find it's one of those flaws in our ability to access all the world's information so instantly that we react out of emotion rather than letting things settle and see how it plays out. I understand all the people who shared this acquisition in different groups because it's news and it's relevant to all the groups that I saw it shared in. But to see so many sad reactions or comments about how bad this news is when nothing's changed at all is so weird. Like why do we feel the need to get pre-upset about things that haven't happened? Part of the reason this acquisition happened was because of the value of the brand that Prime100 has built; why would any smart business harm that brand by destroying the product that makes it money? Obviously, we have seen examples of this in the real world, but to get upset at this prospect before anything has actually happened seems so weird to me, like is there now hope that things could turn out well? I mean, opening an Australian brand up to larger markets should be a good thing, shouldn't it? Hopefully, it would lead to more money in the Australian economy and also more jobs in Australia - depending on any changes that get implemented in the structure of the business.

I don't know it may just be the optimistic side of me that sees this sort of instant negativity at a simple announcement of an acqusition, as a weird reaction. I'm a realist with an optimistic edge so I tend to let things play out before I fully judge and in the world of business, I feel like you need to lean more into that because if you fall into the negative, the world becomes bleak. The world is bleak enough as it is, we don't need more of that.

Another announcement?that I've seen in the pet world has been that Arnhem Pet Products has partnered with Ziwi Peak to distribute its products in Australia; I would see this news as equally neutral because it's just an announcement of a partnership. OK, an acquisition is a bit more involved, but why is this not getting as shared as the other news? Shouldn't it be positive news that Ziwi products will be made more available to Aussie pet parents? Why not focus on that rather than speculating on things that haven't happened yet?

Anyway, these are just some random thoughts on how we're so fast to react negatively to news that really has no positive or negative attribution to it in the age of social media and instant access to all news.