Researching Holocaust Education and Activism on Social Media
by Dr Stefania Manca
How is Holocaust memory being reshaped in the age of TikTok, Instagram, and digital activism? Drawing on her journey from educational technology to digital Holocaust memory and education, our latest visiting fellow explores how social media can both distort and revitalise the memory of the Holocaust.
I have been a researcher in educational technology for almost 30 years, focusing on the opportunities and challenges of using digital tools in education. My background in education sciences has helped me develop methods and strategies to integrate digital practices into teaching and learning. In 2018–2019, I decided to connect this professional expertise with my long-standing personal interest in the Holocaust. This step marked the beginning of my engagement with Holocaust memory and education through a digital lens. I started a Doctoral programme in Education and ICT (e-learning) at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya in Spain, with a project entitled “Teaching and learning about the Holocaust on social media: A learning ecology perspective.”
Since 2011, I had already been studying the use of social media in education, so it felt natural to bring these two fields together. At the time, research in this area was still scarce, as highlighted in my literature review. On the one hand, I felt like a pioneer; on the other hand, I knew I still had much to learn – strengthening my knowledge of Holocaust history and education, and exploring cultural and heritage studies, two fields largely unfamiliar to me.
Then the pandemic arrived. I could not travel, but I suddenly had time: time to read, study, and attend the many webinars that became available. It was in this virtual space that I first met Prof. Victoria Grace Richardson-Walden, Director of the Landecker Digital Memory Lab, through the online discussions she organised, and discovered the inspiring community that was growing around these topics.
At the same time, I was also involved in her project that contributed to the development of the Recommendations for Using Social Media for Holocaust Memory and Education, one of the first initiatives to outline the emerging landscape of Holocaust-related practices on social media. This experience further consolidated my path into digital Holocaust education research, bridging personal interest, professional expertise, and collaborative practice.
Even before beginning my doctoral research, I was already interested in whether Holocaust memorials and museums were using social media, and if so, in what ways. At that time, I was travelling widely across Europe to visit concentration and death camps – journeys that eventually became the basis for a historical and visitor guide (Guida ai campi di concentramento e di sterminio nazisti, in Italian). During these visits, I began to reflect on how these institutions were engaging – or perhaps not engaging – with digital platforms, and what this might mean for the ways Holocaust memory is communicated today.
These early questions became the foundation of my doctoral research. As I started to explore the intersection of Holocaust memory and digital culture in a more systematic way, I realised that social media were not just an additional communication tool for memorials and museums. They were a space where memory itself could be reshaped, reinterpreted, and at times contested.
My research set out to examine how people engage with Holocaust-related content on social media and how this engagement influences their understanding of the Holocaust. More specifically, I aimed to address gaps between, on the one hand, the media ecosystems of Holocaust memory created by institutions such as museums and memorials, and, on the other, the learning ecologies of online users seeking meaningful educational experiences. The goal was to build a bridge between the perspectives of media and cultural studies and those of education and learning technologies.
My findings suggest that the social media pages of museums and memorials are regarded as important and trustworthy sources of information about the Holocaust. Users show a strong interest in themes linked to the interplay between national and transnational memory and often express a sense of civic responsibility towards the legacy of the Holocaust. At the same time, many learners show a preference for individual, self-directed engagement rather than interaction with peers.
However, when it comes to educators, my research highlighted that the use of digital tools and social media in Holocaust education and professional development remains limited. Taken together, these findings underscore the importance of understanding how learners’ preferences shape their educational ecologies, and how this, in turn, will influence the future of Holocaust memory in the digital age.
As I mentioned earlier, my academic background is in pedagogy, although I moved quite early into the field of digital sciences. My perspective has always been driven by an interest in how people learn, and in the factors that can either support or hinder these processes. Technology is not simply an additional element to be added into the mix – it actively shapes the whole process. It influences how learning unfolds, the kinds of interactions that take place, and even the outcomes that can be achieved.
This is why I approach technological platforms as socio-technical systems, where human practices, cultural norms, and technological infrastructures constantly shape and reshape one another. My most recent study, for example, examined how Holocaust survivors use TikTok to engage in meaningful forms of playful online activism that intertwine personal testimony with everyday life. In doing so, they not only safeguard historical facts but also confront antisemitism and Holocaust distortion in innovative, accessible, and human ways.
When it comes to methodology, I have always been curious to mix things up. I like to combine the rigour of numbers and data-driven analysis with the warmth of qualitative research. This is not just about triangulating results, but about looking at the same issue from different angles and letting those perspectives complement each other.
Of course, this is not always simple. No one can master every method, and often it is necessary to rely on collaborators or external experts to carry out more complex analyses – something that can be both challenging and rewarding. Over the years, I have experimented with surveys, interviews, social media analytics, topic modelling, and content analysis, trying to capture the richness of the field from different sides. However, social media research also comes with its own hurdles. Platforms keep changing, and their APIs are becoming increasingly restrictive. As a researcher, you constantly need to adapt – finding new ways to work within these limits or learning to use the latest tools that help to overcome (some of) them.
One of the most demanding experiences I have undertaken was a Delphi study involving 22 experts, which aimed to develop a framework for examining Holocaust-related content on social media. The study focused on the types of content that can be published on these platforms and introduced an analytical tool designed to categorise the available materials. Understanding how institutions such as Holocaust museums use social media to engage their audiences offers important insights into public history and its dissemination in the digital age. The process involved multiple rounds of negotiation and difficult choices but ultimately produced a framework that is more ecologically valid and inclusive, capturing a broad range of opinions and perspectives.
Alongside the growing use of social media by Holocaust memorials and museums, one of my main research areas has focused on Holocaust denial and distortion online. In 2020–2021, I worked on the IHRA-funded project “Countering Holocaust Distortion on Social Media” (IHRA Grant #2020 792; IHRA Grant Strategy 2019–2023, line 2 “Countering distortion”), which promoted the use of digital technologies in positive ways for Holocaust education. The project provided insights and recommendations on how museums and memorials can safeguard the historical record, reach audiences vulnerable to antisemitism and distortion, and share factually accurate information about the Holocaust.
More recently, I have been involved in the CERV-2023-EQUAL project “DECONSTRUCT – Deconstructing Distortion and Disinformation via Campaign and Digital Education”. This project combines research, online resources, and a public awareness campaign to engage educators, students, and policymakers, aiming to equip them to counter antisemitism and Holocaust distortion while also strengthening media literacy skills. The project is still ongoing, and we will soon be able to share the first results.
Concerns about Holocaust distortion as a form of secondary antisemitism led me to join the European Practitioners Network against Antisemitism (EPNA). Within this framework, we developed a Toolkit for social media campaigns aimed at young audiences, with TikTok as a key platform for education and advocacy. The Toolkit provides both conceptual guidance and practical recommendations: from debunking myths and counter-speech to reframing antisemitic narratives, sharing personal stories, partnering with influencers, and using humour or dialogue to engage users. It also offers advice on addressing Holocaust distortion and anti-Zionism, alongside technical tips on how to make the most of TikTok’s features. The ultimate goal is to empower young people and communities to combat antisemitism and create a more inclusive digital space.
More recently, my work has also turned towards digital activism for peace on social media, with particular reference to the Middle East. Building on this, we are organising an international event in Rome next October, “Digital Peacebuilders: Promoting Coexistence, Antisemitism Awareness, and Deradicalisation through Social Media”, funded by EPNA.
Across these projects, my findings highlight both the risks and opportunities of social media in shaping Holocaust memory and antisemitism awareness. They suggest that, when strategically engaged, digital platforms can be powerful tools for education and community-building, rather than merely vectors of hate. A key emphasis has been on mobilising young people, transforming TikTok into a space where positive change thrives, and strengthening media literacy skills as a way to empower users to critically navigate online content. This reframes the field by positioning social media not only as a threat, but also as a meaningful space for remembrance, advocacy, and peacebuilding in the digital age.
During my visit to the Landecker Digital Memory Lab, my main goal is to gather insights and suggestions on how to motivate teachers and Holocaust educators to make greater use of digital tools – whether through social media, video games, virtual reality, or artificial intelligence. Although there is a growing body of research on these technologies, as I had the excellent opportunity to appreciate in full during the recent Connective Holocaust Commemoration Expo 2025, their uptake in classrooms and educational programmes remains limited. I am eager to draw on the Lab team’s expertise to explore how innovative digital practices can be translated into meaningful and sustainable strategies for educators.
I am also excited to present and discuss my own projects, to exchange ideas on methodologies, and to explore new opportunities for collaboration. The Lab provides a unique environment where memory studies and digital innovation come together, and I look forward to seeing how this dialogue can help refine my research and strengthen its educational impact.
Finally, I am delighted to be returning to Brighton – a city I very much enjoy – and to spend time in such an inspiring setting, both academically and personally.