When moose cross the screen
Fostering human–nature connections through a Swedish Slow TV nature broadcast
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19583151 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Minh-Xuân Truong (0000-0001-7210-3656, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, corresponding author), Bernadette F van Heel (0000-0003-2738-5644, Radboud University Nijmegen), R J G van den Born (0000-0001-7303-7398, Radboud University Nijmegen) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 7 |
| Issue | 11 |
| Pages | 2852-2864 |
| Publication date | 2025-11-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | People and Nature (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2575-8314 • E-ISSN: 2575-8314 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1002/pan3.70166 |
| OpenAlex | W4414575224 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 62 |
With direct experiences of nature declining due to urbanisation, technology‐mediated encounters may offer alternative ways to foster human–nature connections. This study investigates how Den Stora Älgvandringen (The Great Moose Migration, TGMM), a Swedish Slow TV programme live‐streaming moose migration, influences viewers' experiences of nature and human–nature relationships. Specifically, it explores the types of mediated nature experiences viewers have while watching TGMM, their motivations for engaging with the programme and how these motivations relate to their connectedness with nature. We employed a mixed‐methods approach involving an online survey completed by 2011 respondents. The survey included demographic questions, the Humans and Nature (HaN) scale, the Inclusion of Nature in Self (INS) scale and questions about viewers' experiences. Our findings show TGMM offers restorative, immersive experiences that foster emotional connectedness and ecological curiosity, with key themes of appreciating natural sounds, experiencing nature at its own pace and feelings of connectedness and nostalgia. Using HaN and INS scales, we found strong associations between nature connectedness, direct nature experience frequency and environmental concern. TGMM serves as a digital connection to nature and a community platform, providing an unfiltered, real‐time portrayal of wildlife that deeply resonates with viewers. While these experiences cannot replace direct nature contact, they play a valuable role in promoting conservation attitudes and fostering human–nature connectedness, especially for those with limited access to nature. These findings highlight the potential of Slow TV and similar media to inspire emotional and cognitive engagement with nature, with implications for biodiversity conservation and environmental education. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog
Affordance · Feeling · Pace · Social connectedness · Visitor pattern · Wildlife · Animal and Plant Science Education · Climate Change Communication and Perception · Ecology, Conservation, and Geographical Studies
Social Capital and the Collective Management of Resources
Outdoor Time, Screen Time, and Connection to Nature
Connectedness as a Core Conservation Concern
Do people who feel connected to nature do more to protect it? A meta-analysis
Public engagement with science—Origins, motives and impact in academic literature and science policy
Extinction of experience
Nature contact, nature connectedness and associations with health, wellbeing and pro-environmental behaviours
Why Is Nature Beneficial?
Transformation of Experience
Inclusion with Nature
The extended Inclusion of Nature in Self scale
Key factors in Knowledge Sharing Behavior in Virtual Communities of Practice
How slow is ‘slow TV’? Audiences’ experiences of meditation, obsession and authenticity when watching swimming moose on Swedish television
The Moral Roots of Environmental Attitudes
Applying the pathways to nature connectedness at a societal scale
Nature interactions and their associations with connection to nature and well‐being varies between different types of green spaces
Extinction of experience
The implications of digital visual media for human–nature relationships
Acknowledging and understanding the contributions of nature to human sense of time
The educational value of virtual ecologies in Red Dead Redemption 2
Nature documentaries and saving nature
Disconnection from nature
Thematic Analysis
Human–nature connection
Gamers Like It Green
Testing the Biophilia Hypothesis Through the Human and Nature Scale on Four Continents
Reconnecting with nature for sustainability
Explaining the Rich Entertainment Appeal of Nature Documentaries and its Conflicting Motivational Consequences
Nordic in nature
Educational potentials of encounters with nature
Environmental Stewardship and Ecological Solidarity
The Gender Gap in Environmental Concern
Public Visions of the Human/Nature Relationship and their Implications for Environmental Ethics
Joy of nature,friluftsliveducation and self
Inner transformation to sustainability as a deep leverage point
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |