Bridging Cultural Studies and Learning Science: An Investigation of Social Media Use for Holocaust Memory and Education in the Digital Age

In the research subfield of social media memory studies (Birkner & Donk, 2020), digital memory of relevant historical events has its own scholarship and avenues of publication (e.g., Garde-Hansen et al., 2009; Hoskins, 2011). As for the specific area of Holocaust studies, with the passing of the generation that witnessed and experienced the Holocaust (Wieviorka, 2006), scholars have stressed that learning about the Holocaust will progressively rely less on public speakers and more on audio-visual testimonies and second and third generation accounts (Gross & Stevick, 2015; Hirsch, 2012). Scholars have advanced the idea of a "virtual Holocaust memory" to consider both digital and non-digital memory projects related to the Holocaust that draw attention to the pervasive nature of the virtuality of memory (Walden, 2019). Despite the pace at which technology has advanced and become woven into the fabric of youths' lives, it is still unclear how "the internet and in particular social media impact on students' knowledge and understanding of the Holocaust" (Gray, 2014, p. 105). Moreover, scholars argue that for contemporary digital users, there is a need to "resurrect" Holocaust commemoration through the creation of immersive and more engaging memories as mass media such as cinema and television may be no longer suitable (Kansteiner, 2017). This study provides a review of social media use for Holocaust remembrance and for teaching and learning about the Holocaust. The aim is to identify the main topics of research and potential connections between the two fields and to provide indications for further research.