Reframing the past? Competing narratives of the Greek Civil War on YouTube

This article focuses on how YouTube might shape collective memory around the Greek Civil War. Drawing on the concept of postmodernism and that of digital ‘connective turn’, the authors argue that YouTube might reframe historical events in ways that weaken broader political understandings. Through the analysis of two YouTube videos (History Matters and The Armchair Historian), the article aims to unpack how the platform content reduces the Greek Civil War to simplified specific Cold War narratives. The analysis suggests that these videos often downplay the conflict’s social and political dimensions, portraying it instead as a series of misunderstandings or strategic necessities. The authors suggest that this is not simply a matter of historical distortion, but a broader process they term ‘structural revisionism’. Driven by platforms’ inner logics, YouTube promotes an emotionally engaging and easily shareable content leaving aside the historical complexity of the event. As a result, collective memory is reshaped into fragmented and depoliticized narratives aligning with platforms logics.