The Great Moose Migration (Den stora älgvandringen) has become a success on Swedish television. Now, Minh-Xuân Truong., a researcher at SLU, aims to understand how viewers are affected by the program. Do they become more involved with nature? He will also explore virtual nature experiences in video games and apps used in citizen science for biodiversity.
"Technology is becoming an increasingly integral part of our daily lives, including our experiences of nature. At the same time, there's a biodiversity crisis and a climate crisis. I want to know if we can use technology and these experiences people live through them to increase engagement and protect species and nature," says Minh-Xuân Truong.
The Great Moose Migration (Den stora älgvandringen) is a live, uncommented nature program that showcases animals and nature at a location in Sweden. It is a prime example of slow TV. The program has a large and engaged audience and an active chat. Minh-Xuân will use this to gather responses for his survey. The questions revolve around viewers' experiences of the program and how it has influenced their attitudes and behaviors.
"I am looking forward to interacting with viewers. It's also a perfect way to improve my Swedish."
Another form of digital nature experience is found in video games. The researchers will particularly focus on open-world games (e.g. Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Horizon series, Elden Ring). This genre is highly popular and immersive, offering the most extensive interaction with digital nature.
"We will investigate how video game players experience nature in digital environments and how this experience relates to their real-life experiences of nature."
In previous studies, Minh-Xuan has found that video games have the potential to increase players' interest in nature and can also act as a substitute for nature when they are unable to go outside.
Technology can also affect us when we are out in nature, for example, by helping us identify species, and several citizen science apps are being used. In the project, researchers will look atsome of them.
The project also involves producers of digital nature experiences, including nature filmmakers, game designers, and citizen science program leads. One goal is to develop design guidelines that promote engagement with real and digital nature while minimizing negative impacts on users and the natural environment.
"So, we will study both users' digital nature experiences and engagement with nature, but also the role of the human-nature relationship for producers."
What happens when the moose crosses the screen. Illustration: Frida Sterner
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