Teaching and learning about the Holocaust on social media: A learning ecology perspective

This thesis investigates the lifelong learning ecologies that combine formal, non-formal, and informal learning to foster understanding and participation in the new Holocaust memory landscapes shaped by digital technologies. Stemming from an analysis of the relationships between post-witness historical memory and the emerging media ecosystems that transmit and share these memories, the dissertation deepens its exploration of educational approaches and places the focus on lifelong learning ecologies as an effective approach for both the general public and teachers’ professional learning on the topic. The historical focus of this study is on the Holocaust and the Second World War as two of the most prominent collective memories that have continued to shape Western and European identity, since the early 1990s. While digital technologies have played an increasingly important role in the globalisation and internationalisation of Holocaust remembrance, they are also reconfiguring the construction of collective and individual memory, leading to new forms of Holocaust education. As digital media, technology and culture continue to evolve, the participatory culture of social media has permeated the digital practices of many Holocaust organisations and other content creators. However, little is known about the potential of social media for Holocaust education and lifelong learning ecologies. While most educational materials are still geared towards traditional educational settings, there is limited research on how people engage with Holocaust-related content on social media and the impact of this engagement on their understanding of the Holocaust. This dissertation addresses these gaps by investigating two parallel streams of research: the (social) media ecosystems of Holocaust memory as deployed on social media by Holocaust organisations such as museums and memorials, and the learning ecologies of online users who seek to create meaningful learning experiences related to the Holocaust. In this sense, this study aims to build a bridge between the theoretical and methodological orientations of media and cultural studies and those of education and learning technologies. In this light, the study uses several research methods borrowed from social media research and educational science to integrate contributions from the two different research fields. The thesis is presented as a compendium of seven papers and one supplementary study: (1) a systematic review of the literature to map how cultural studies and learning sciences have investigated the use of social media for Holocaust memory and education, and to analyse the research gaps; (2) the development of an analytical methodology based on social media analysis; (3) the development of a conceptual framework relating the field of digital Holocaust memory to the learning ecologies approach; (4) the study of how Holocaust museums and memorials are developing practices of digital Holocaust remembrance on social media; (5) the study of how the four main Italian Holocaust museums and memorials use social media for educational and commemorative purposes; (6) the study of how Italian adult learners develop their learning ecologies through the use of social media; (7) the analysis of the learning ecologies of a group of Italian Holocaust educators to understand their motivation for initial and lifelong learning and their learning practices. The supplementary study is focused on qualitative content analysis of social media sites. The results show that Holocaust museums have an overall positive attitude towards social media. They tend to use Facebook, Instagram and YouTube in particular, and to share educational content and information about the museum’s activities but interaction with users remains generally limited. In the case of Italian museums, they tend to use Facebook and Instagram in particular, with a preference for a target audience over 25 years of age. Overall, the social media pages of museums and memorials are seen as important and trustworthy sources of information about the Holocaust. Users are particularly interested in topics related to the intertwining of transnational and national memory and express a sense of civic responsibility regarding the legacy of the Holocaust. However, components of the learning process show proactive behaviour and a preference for individual learning, while interaction with peers is considered less important. As for Holocaust educators the results highlight that there is still a limited use of digital technologies and social media in Holocaust education and in the professional development of educators. These integrative findings suggest that there is a need to understand how learners’ preferences influence the development of their learning ecologies. In addition to providing opportunities for learners to critically reflect on their own learning practices, museum staff need to provide opportunities for learners to interact with each other. Finally, to reach younger audiences, Holocaust museums and memorials should invest in social media platforms that are most appropriate for the younger generation (e.g., TikTok).