Digital Holocaust memory: A study of Italian Holocaust museums and their social media users

Cultural institutions responsible for preserving and transmitting the history and memory of the Holocaust include museums and memorials. These institutions re- mind visitors of the tragedy and aim to educate them about the events that led to it, the people affected and the lessons that can be learned from it. They also serve to honour the victims and those involved in relief efforts.1 Additionally, museums play a crucial role in disseminating cultural memory, which encompasses both in- dividual and collective processes.2 As Nora describes,3 museums can be considered “lieux de mémoire”, symbolic elements of a community’s memory and ethical proj- ects that encourage visitors to learn from the past, fostering a common sense of guilt and responsibility that binds the nation together.4 This is particularly true of memorial museums, which act as a form of public education and help community members remember and reflect on difficult events from the past. By engaging with these memories and understanding their significance, people can learn from the past and form a shared sense of responsibility for the future. The digitalisation of Holocaust memorials and museums, like other cultural institutions, has evolved over time and ushered in new forms of remediation,5 contributing to the development of a transcultural and global Holocaust mem- ory.6 The vast majority of museums representing World War Two and the Holo- caust today are characterised by “transnational memory”,7 which refers to a wide range of historical phenomena that transcend national boundaries.8 National memories continue to be significant and are simultaneously reconfigured under globalisation.9 Contrary to popular belief, although Holocaust memories have be- come one of the strongest Western collective memories and identities,10 the Holo- caust is a profoundly geographical event rooted in specific geographical locations, times and spaces. Even in Western Europe, national memories are likely to differ and may focus more on a particular aspect of the Holocaust than others, thereby intertwining a local and transcultural memory of the Holocaust in different ways.11 There is a strong connection between Holocaust memory and traumatic events in diverse nations that reflects the dominance of national perspectives.12 This connection is evident in the effort to restrict standardisation of Holocaust memory13 as well as the recognition of the distinction between national memory projects and local commemoration practices.14 Although there has been a growing homogenisation of Holocaust memory, es- pecially in Europe,15 as a result of ever-increasing digital globalization,16 recent research17 indicates that museum and memorial presentation strategies are still affected by national preference. For example, during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, German Holocaust museums increased their use of language other than Ger- man in their Facebook communication, whereas Italian Holocaust museums tended to publish primarily in Italian, targeting the national community in gen- eral.18 Despite the pandemic’s impact on digital internationalisation and globali- sation,19 Holocaust institutions exhibit a broad range of digital accessibility and a clear preference for reaching a wider audience with their contributions.20 This chapter focuses on Italian Holocaust museums and memorials and their use of social media platforms to digitise Holocaust memory and bridge national and transnational memories. The study examines how these institutions promote Holocaust remembrance and education while combating distortions on social media. It also investigates how online users respond to the museums’ content and what motivates them to seek out Holocaust-related information on social media platforms. By understanding these motivations, museums can tailor their offer- ings to better educate their audiences, combat misinformation and distortion.