Random access memories or clichéd representations? Exploring historical photographs of the troubles on Instagram

Reilly, P. (2024) Random access memories or clichéd representations? Exploring historical photographs of the troubles on Instagram. Information, Communication and Society, (doi: 10.1080/1369118X.2024.2332605) (Early Online Publication)

Abstract

Social media provide unprecedented opportunities for the distribution of photographs capturing experiences of conflict. Instagram in particular renders conflict photography searchable, whilst also aggregating the memories of traumatised communities. This paper adds to the nascent literature in this area by exploring how the photosharing app is used to share photographs of the Northern Irish ‘Troubles’, a low-intensity conflict that resulted in 3,600 fatalities and left many more bereaved, injured and traumatised. Two decades on from the Belfast Agreement, Northern Ireland remains a deeply divided society in which competing narratives over the conflict remain deeply entrenched. This study explored photographic representation of the Troubles, with a specific focus on who was represented in these images and whether they were evoke personal memories of the conflict. A content and narrative analysis of 100 historical images tagged #thetroubles was conducted in order to explore these issues. Results indicate that images showing the ‘peculiarity’ of everyday life during the conflict, such as armed British soldiers standing in close quarters to children playing in the street, were the most prominent visual representations under this hashtag. The memories evoked by such historical photographs reinforce zero-sum narratives on conflict, rather than promote new interpretations that build support for peace in ‘post-conflict’ societies.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Early Online Publication
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Reilly, Dr Paul
• Authors: Reilly, P.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Politics
• Journal Name: Information, Communication and Society
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• ISSN: 1369-118X
• ISSN (Online): 1468-4462
• Published Online: 25 March 2024
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2024 The Author(s)
• First Published: First published in Information, Communication and Society 2024
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons license