Media Storytelling and the Memory of War: Narrative Strategies of Commemoration

Abstract

Introduction. Narrative broadcasting of information is currently relevant in the context of the Russian-Ukrainian war, when the modern consumer is not an outside observer of events, but a direct participant.

Relevance relevance of the study. The means and tools of commemorating the Russian-Ukrainian war in the media space allow us to immortalize time, era, and people. The focus of the research is on war storytelling in the Ukrainian media landscape as a tool of commemoration. The purpose of the article is to outline the verbal and visual content of war storytelling as a tool for commemorating the Russian-Ukrainian war.

Methodology. The research methodology is based on an integrated approach to the study of multimedia storytelling as a tool for commemoration through the formation of historical memory. Theoretical analysis, comparison and generalization made it possible to define the essence of the concepts on the topic, the descriptive method – to characterize the verbal and visual content of media narratives and identify their constituent elements; comparative method – to compare the outlined narratives, methods of generalization and synthesis – to formulate the conclusions of the study.

Results. The war between Russia and Ukraine has had a significant impact on the content and thematic emphasis of the narratives broadcast in the Ukrainian media space, and the needs of the target audience have been reflected in the formats of story presentation. The paper describes the verbal and visual content of war-related narratives and identifies the main creative elements of storytelling as a tool of commemoration. It has been established that storytelling as a tool for commemorating the Russian-Ukrainian war contributes to the perpetuation of time, era, and people. Media text in this format activates reader-media interaction. We found out that one of the key functions of transmedia storytelling is to engage recipients simultaneously on different platforms and to activate movement between these platforms, which increases views and participation in the broadcast of content. It has been determined that the content of military narratives has an emotional impact on the recipient, in particular, it can be a trigger. The paper describes different types of digital content and outlines their impact on the recipient.

Conclusions. This analysis proves that storytelling in the context of war performs not only an informative function but is also an effective tool for commemorative practices. In this format, the narrative can act as an emotional trigger for one part of the audience, and for another part, it can be a tool for preserving the memory of events, places, people, and the historical reality itself. The visual components of war narratives often serve as markers of meaning, becoming carriers of subtext, conveying deep emotional meanings that are not always formulated in words.