Hunting the Beast on YouTube

Abstract

Humans' perceived relationship to nature and non-human lifeforms is fundamental for sustainable development; different framings of nature -as commodity, as threat, as sacred etc. -imply different responses to future challenges. The body of research on nature representations in various symbolic contexts is growing, but the ways in which nature is framed by people in the everyday has received scant attention. This paper aims to contribute to our understanding of the framing of nature by studying how wild-boar hunting is depicted on YouTube. The qualitative frame analysis identified three interrelated frames depicting hunting as battle, as consumption, and as privilege, all of which constitute and are constituted by the underlying notion of human as superior to nature. It is suggested that these hegemonic nature frames suppress more constructive ways of framing the human-nature relationship, but also that the identification of such potential counter-hegemonic frames enables their discursive manifestation.

Communicating nature during lockdown – How conservation and outdoor organisations use social media to facilitate local nature experiences

“…In their posts, organisations suggested that everyday encounters with species such as blackbirds or pigeons were also a way to connect to nature, implying that everyone, regardless of where they lived, could find nature around them. The variety of engagement that is encouraged matters, not only because during lockdown local encounters with nature can enhance well‐being (Ribeiro et al, 2021; Sachs, 2020) but also because representations of nature inform the way we respond to current and future environmental challenges (Mörner & Olausson, 2017). One of the criticisms levelled at the representations produced through digital media is that they focus on the spectacular, which can lead to less rich and varied experiences (Büscher, 2013; Truong & Clayton, 2020).…”

“…One of the criticisms levelled at the representations produced through digital media is that they focus on the spectacular, which can lead to less rich and varied experiences (Büscher, 2013; Truong & Clayton, 2020). Less charismatic or more problematic nature often receive less attention (Mörner & Olausson, 2017; Kidd et al, 2018). A more diverse inclusion of reflections and representations of mundane or local nature all contribute to the multifaceted relationships people build with nature.…”

Semiotic Organization of Russian Environmental Internet Memes

“…Появление социальных сетей, а шире -новых медиа, породило альтернативные формы экологического интернет-общения [Nissenbaum et al, 2017]. За последние десятилетия существенно возросло количество исследований, в которых изучается роль новых медиа в процессах обмена информацией о состоянии окружающей среды [Dancygier, 2023;Joose et al, 2018;Mörner et al, 2017;Thorsten, 2013;. Ученые отмечают, что одним из самых популярных форматов экологической интернет-коммуникации в новых медиа, и в социальных сетях в том числе, являются мемы [Jones et al, 2022].…”

Wildlife in the Digital Anthropocene: Examining human-animal relations through surveillance technologies

“…Hence, and as boar hunting YouTube videos testify (cf. Mörner and Olausson, 2017), the majority of devices aim for more accurate identification to foster shooting wild boars in higher numbers. The clampdown modality for monitoring wild boar is thereby premised on a logic of watching over in the policing-surveillance sense, seeing the object as a threat (Hinchliffe and Lavau, 2013), and human interests as the objects under threat.…”