Memory in the margins: The connecting and colliding of vernacular war memories

IF 1.7 Q2 COMMUNICATION

Media War and Conflict Pub Date : 2020-06-01 DOI:10.1177/1750635219828772

Stephanie de Smale

{"title":"Memory in the margins: The connecting and colliding of vernacular war memories","authors":"Stephanie de Smale","doi":"10.1177/1750635219828772","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"This article examines how war memory circulates, connects and collides on digital media platforms driven by digital publics that form around popular culture. Through a case study of vernacular memory discourses emerging around a game inspired by the Yugoslav war, the article investigates how the commenting practices of YouTube users provide insights into the feelings of belonging of conflict-affected subjects that go beyond ethnicity and exceed geographical boundaries. The comments of 331 videos were analysed, using an open source tool and sequential mixed-method content analysis. Media-based collectivities emerging on YouTube are influenced by the reactive and asynchronous dynamics of comments that stimulate the emergence of micro-narratives. Within this plurality of voices, connective moments focus on shared memories of trauma and displacement beyond ethnicity. However, clashing collective memories cause disputes that reify identification along ethnic lines. The article concludes that memory discourses emerging in the margins of YouTube represent the affective reactions of serendipitous encounters between users of audio-visual content.","PeriodicalId":45719,"journal":{"name":"Media War and Conflict","volume":"13 1","pages":"188 - 212"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7000,"publicationDate":"2020-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/1750635219828772","citationCount":"11","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Media War and Conflict","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1750635219828772","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"COMMUNICATION","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 11

Abstract

This article examines how war memory circulates, connects and collides on digital media platforms driven by digital publics that form around popular culture. Through a case study of vernacular memory discourses emerging around a game inspired by the Yugoslav war, the article investigates how the commenting practices of YouTube users provide insights into the feelings of belonging of conflict-affected subjects that go beyond ethnicity and exceed geographical boundaries. The comments of 331 videos were analysed, using an open source tool and sequential mixed-method content analysis. Media-based collectivities emerging on YouTube are influenced by the reactive and asynchronous dynamics of comments that stimulate the emergence of micro-narratives. Within this plurality of voices, connective moments focus on shared memories of trauma and displacement beyond ethnicity. However, clashing collective memories cause disputes that reify identification along ethnic lines. The article concludes that memory discourses emerging in the margins of YouTube represent the affective reactions of serendipitous encounters between users of audio-visual content.

查看原文本刊更多论文

边缘的记忆:本土战争记忆的连接与碰撞

本文探讨了战争记忆是如何在数字媒体平台上传播、连接和碰撞的，这些平台是由围绕流行文化形成的数字公众驱动的。本文以一款受南斯拉夫战争启发的游戏为例，研究了YouTube用户的评论行为是如何超越种族和地理界限，深入了解受冲突影响主体的归属感的。使用开源工具和顺序混合方法对331个视频的评论进行分析。YouTube上出现的基于媒体的集体受到了评论的反应性和异步动态的影响，这些动态刺激了微叙事的出现。在这种多元化的声音中，连接时刻关注的是超越种族的创伤和流离失所的共同记忆。然而，相互冲突的集体记忆会引发争议，使种族认同具体化。这篇文章的结论是，出现在YouTube边缘的记忆话语代表了视听内容用户之间偶然相遇的情感反应。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Media War and Conflict COMMUNICATION-

CiteScore

3.60

自引率

15.40%

发文量

期刊介绍： Media, War & Conflict is a major new international, peer-reviewed journal that maps the shifting arena of war, conflict and terrorism in an intensively and extensively mediated age. It will explore cultural, political and technological transformations in media-military relations, journalistic practices, and new media, and their impact on policy, publics, and outcomes of warfare. Media, War & Conflict is the first journal to be dedicated to this field. It will publish substantial research articles, shorter pieces, book reviews, letters and commentary, and will include an images section devoted to visual aspects of war and conflict.