Curating new understandings of outdoor adventure: A critical analysis of #microadventure content on Facebook and Instagram
- WCU Author/Contributor (non-WCU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Kayler Elizabeth DeBrew (Creator)
- Institution
- Western Carolina University (WCU )
- Web Site: http://library.wcu.edu/
- Advisor
- Callie Spencer Schultz
Abstract: Outdoor adventure participation is often associated with individual and community benefits (Coventry et al., 2021; Prince, 2020; Zwart & Ewart, 2022); yet, the 21st century culture of outdoor adventure in the United States remains socially inequitable and environmentally unsustainable (Dashper & King, 2021; Roberts, 2018; Stonehouse, 2022; Taylor et al., 2021). Stemming largely from the historical development of Romantic ‘wilderness’ ideals and American settler colonialism (Goodman, 2023; Hixson, 2013; Wald et al., 2019), dominant discourses of outdoor adventure—which are circulated widely on social media platforms (Lajnef, 2023)—are often underpinned by notions of social and environmental conquest in the outdoors (Gray et al., 2018; Stanley, 2020; Whitson, 2021). Themes such as social privilege, individualism, and exploitation in the outdoors are often reinforced on social media channels, perpetuating an inequitable and unsustainable ‘conquest culture’ in outdoor adventure (Noble 2018b; Whitson, 2021). This thesis explores the representation of an emerging topic in the outdoor field, microadventures—which are described as simple, local, and affordable adventures (Beames et al., 2019; Goodnow & Mackenzie, 2020). The purpose of this of study is to critically examine how #microadventure content on Instagram and Facebook reinforces or resists themes of conquest culture—social privilege, individualism, and socio-environmental exploitation—commonly seen in U.S. outdoor adventure. A central research question was addressed: How is the “regular day” (Lopez et al., 2018) #microadventure content on Instagram and Facebook reinforcing or resisting the dominant presence of conquest discourses in the outdoors? A methodology of qualitative critical social media content analysis grounded in Hall’s (1973) Theory of Encoding and Decoding was used to explore the research question. 56 #microadventure posts were collected over a “regular day” of social media usage (Lopez et al., 2018), ‘deeply read’ (Macnamara, 2005), and categorized according to my interpretation as a researcher-audience member (Hall, 1973). Findings were split; around half of the posts perpetuated conquest culture, while the other half displayed discourses of resistance—showing potential for improved holistic sustainability, accessibility, and inclusivity in the outdoors (Roberts, 2018; Stonehouse, 2022). Framed as a critique of neoliberalism, discussion of the findings interrogates how conquest culture is perpetuated by representations of adventure in the U.S. social media landscape. I conclude that there is an ongoing need in the outdoor field to: (1) consider how outdoor adventure is represented through photographs and on social media, especially in terms of where we seek ‘sublime’ natural beauty, (2) confront recurring themes of conquest culture in outdoor adventure, specifically related to the prevalence of whiteness and pattern of material overconsumption, and (3) celebrate representations of microadventures that extend beyond the scope of traditional outdoor adventure and uplift groups devoted to promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and sustainability in the outdoors.
Curating new understandings of outdoor adventure: A critical analysis of #microadventure content on Facebook and Instagram
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Created on 3/1/2024
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Additional Information
- Publication
- Thesis
- Language: English
- Date: 2024
- Keywords
- Accessible adventure, Inclusive adventure, Microadventure, Social media, Sustainable adventure
- Subjects
- Adventure games
- Outdoor recreation
- Social media
- Privilege (Social psychology)
- Sustainability