Violence in the Virtual Machine The Ukraine War and Shifting Media Flows

Abstract

By Michael Stevens, Film & Media Studies

Advisor: Nancy Jennings

Award: Excellence in Research Communication

Presentation ID: 62

Abstract: The conflict in Ukraine is a focal point for deconstructing media flows and how we perceive history. This event evinces both quantitative and qualitative shifts in the processing of information. By delineating the contested space between mass media and social media, a broader narrative evolves on the increasing relevance of mass-personal communication as both witness and author of history. The discursive flow of the event also raises questions about how educators should approach historical trauma in lesson planning. Two paths emerge, each eliciting resistance and the desperate recognition of the impact social media has on shaping truth. Historical trauma can offer constructive discourses on conflict and cruelty, and the sociological forces determining these events.