Il conflitto in scena. Il racconto della guerra russo-ucraino nella logica memetica e performativa = Conflict on stage. The Russian-Ukrainian war narrative in memetic and performative logic

Abstract

In the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian conflict it is possible to discern a kind of recursiveness in the mutual accusation of falsification of reality on both sides, with specific reference to its social media dimension. This constitutes an interesting ground for reflection, especially if read in the light of the categories of meme and communicative performance, with a focus on the relation between narratives, storytellers and contents. These processes, drawing on mythologies and collective memory, seek to direct or predict the remediation trajectories operated by the recipients of strategic communication, presupposing a creative activity. In order to study this complex phenomenon, the contribution proposes an examination of a sample of Telegram channels, affiliated to both sides involved, mainly in the period 2nd March-20th May 2022, with the aim of verifying whether and how, in the model of a polarized performative communication, the ex-post verification of the content, according to rational criteria of objectivity and transparency, affects the propagation of the message or not.