Google’s got a fun little animation on their home page today—but it seems to be having the unintended consequence of freaking people out.
If you navigate to www.google.com, you’ll be greeted with the iconic white home screen with the search bar we all know and love. But wait for a split second and your eye will soon catch a small object that appears to scuttle down your screen.
This small object is, in fact, a tiny digital leaf. It comes to rest at the bottom of the home page where the words “Carbon neutral since 2007” then appear. The tiny green leaf, in other words, is a celebration of Google’s environmental impact measures.
The only problem is, many people are seeing the tiny tree leaf and freaking out—because their minds are quickly processing the small moving thing running down their screen as an insect.
Is it just me who thought the falling carbon-neutral leaf on Google was a moving bug on my screen?? pic.twitter.com/ogDf265a2y
— Yang Hu ✊????????️????❤️ (@dr_yanghu) November 19, 2020
No, Yang, it’s not just you. Lots of people thought the same.
It’s only 10:30 and I’ve already tried to swipe at this little leaf thinking it was a bug on my machine at least 3 times ????????♀️ #google #googleleaf #googlecarbonneutral pic.twitter.com/vDgRL5fUbb
— Tara McTigue (@Tattytee) November 19, 2020
Omn, Google had a little animation that makes a leaf fall from the top of the screen to the bottom.
I wasn't expecting it, and freaked out at first because all I saw was quick movement- I thought it was a bug on my screen or something ????— PixxelHeartt (Commissions Open) (@HearttPixxel) November 19, 2020
Google scared the life out of me this morning… thought it was a fly or a bug on my screen, but no, just a cute carbon friendly leaf animation! #google
— Sooze Love (@SoozeLove) November 19, 2020
Out of the side if my eye I see a green bug on my screen. Jumped. Turns out to be a leaf on the Google homepage ????♂️
— Ash (@hypest_ash) November 19, 2020
This tiny leaf just fell down on the Google homepage and scared the shit out of me. I thought it was a bug on my screen. pic.twitter.com/qiV5bd9svR
— Matt Murphy (@murphofficial13) November 19, 2020
anyone else irritated by a small green leaf floating around on #Google search page today? First I thought there was a bug on my screen but no, it's there every time.
— Sarah Ziegel (@SarahJZiegel) November 19, 2020
i keep mistaking that tiny falling leaf on the google homepage for a bug on my screen
— gygas boss battle theme from ness (@faerielynx) November 19, 2020
the new google thing with the leaf falling down just scared the shit out of me omg i thought there's a bug on my screen
— jess ???? #LieLikeThis ???? (@bndtherulesnh) November 19, 2020
That leaf on @Google really threw me off today…I thought it was a bug ????
— SAMMY (@foreversammmy) November 19, 2020
Granted, 2020 has been a hell of a year and all . . . but sheesh people. Might be time to switch to decaf.