Date
8-29-2025
Department
School of Communication and the Arts
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Communication (PhD)
Chair
Robert Mott
Keywords
trophy hunting, social media, moral conflict theory, social judgment theory, Barthes semiotic analysis, Kellert’s typology of value of nature, gender roles
Disciplines
Communication
Recommended Citation
Longoria, Brittany Alexandra Hosmer, "Motivation to Hunt: A Qualitative Semiotic Analysis of Moral Conflict Theory and Social Judgment Theory of Influential Women Hunters on Instagram" (2025). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 7422.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/7422
Abstract
This qualitative research investigates the motivations of women hunters on Instagram through semiotic analysis grounded in moral conflict theory and social judgment theory. Hunting is primarily male-dominated, but the emergence of women hunters on social media challenges stereotypes and shines new light on the dynamics between gender roles, ethics, and public perceptions of the values of nature. The study examines visual symbolism, focusing on how women hunters navigate moral conflicts and social judgment in an increasingly polarizing digital landscape. Through semiotic analysis and personal interviews, the research identifies themes including motivations to hunt, which often respond to or preempt criticism by reinforcing individual values and confronting tensions around femininity and morality. For example, hunters defend their motivation to hunt to obtain food yet rarely share butchering imagery, as such visceral visuals often provoke discomfort by clashing with cultural norms and aesthetic expectations. Historically seen as storytellers and granted greater cultural freedom for emotional expression, women hunters may help bridge the communication gap by conveying the complex motivations behind hunting and countering the negative connotations of harvest photos shaped by male dominance in hunting and its visual representation. This research contributes to the literature on gender roles, social media, anthropology of contemporary hunting, and the value of nature while illustrating how women hunters shape their identities and advocate for hunting as a profoundly personal activity and socially complex practice.
