Reproducing collective memory of the American–Zionism imposed war in virtual narratives: a netnographic study

Naderi, Ahmad

doi:10.22035/jicr.2026.3701.3897

Reproducing collective memory of the American–Zionism imposed war in virtual narratives: a netnographic study

Document Type : Scientific Research Manuscript

Author

Ahmad Naderi

Associate Professor of Political Anthropology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

10.22035/jicr.2026.3701.3897

Abstract

This study examines how collective memory of war is reproduced in the context of social media, with a particular focus on Instagram. The study adopts a qualitative approach and employs netnography as its research method. The research field is Instagram, and the target population consists of Persian-speaking users who actively produce and engage with content related to narratives of the imposed American-Zionist war against Iran. Data were purposively collected from posts, comments, hashtags, and key pages, comprising 375 data units, including 60 posts, 300 comments, 15 pages, and 20 hashtags. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis through successive stages of concept coding, development of subcategories, and extraction of overarching categories. To enhance the credibility of the findings, strategies including data triangulation, theoretical saturation, peer review, and systematic documentation of the analytical process were employed. The findings indicate that the reproduction of collective memory on Instagram occurs through mechanisms such as the repetition and reposting of narratives, reinterpretation of content, symbolic representation, and user interactions. Four major social frameworks were identified in this process: ordinary users, media organizations, influential actors, and platform algorithms. At the symbolic and emotional levels, visual elements, affective language, cultural symbols, and narrative storytelling play a decisive role in consolidating collective memory. The findings further demonstrate that collective memory in digital spaces is fluid, polyphonic, and emotion-driven, and that in the age of social media it has become an interactive, dynamic, and multilayered process. In this process, the boundaries between content producers and consumers have become increasingly blurred, while users, media organizations, and technological structures simultaneously participate in shaping collective memory.

Keywords

Collective Memory

Memory Reproduction

War Narratives

Social Media

Instagram

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