Teaching Guide: Social Media and Digital Memory
Module 09 instructor resources, activities, and assessment options
This guide supports instructors teaching Module 09: Social Media and Digital Memory. It provides structured activities, discussion questions, and assessment options for integrating the module into heritage studies, digital humanities, East Asian studies, or media studies courses.
Learning Outcomes
After completing this module, students should be able to:
- Analyse how visual circulation on social media can depoliticise contested heritage sites
- Evaluate the role of platform architecture in shaping memory activism
- Compare how progressive and reactionary movements deploy personal testimony online
- Apply critical digital literacy skills to heritage-related social media content
- Assess the ethical responsibilities of platform companies regarding historical denialism
Suggested Course Contexts
- Digital Humanities: Social media as historical evidence and interpretive medium
- Heritage Studies: Digital heritage interpretation and contested sites
- East Asian Studies: Japan-Korea relations and memory politics
- Media Studies: Platform studies and content moderation
- Museum Studies: Digital engagement and online interpretation
Before Class
Instructor Preparation
Review the following before teaching this module:
- The main module content and all expandable sections
- Platform policies on historical denialism (YouTube, TikTok, Meta)
- The "Truth of Gunkanjima" website structure and content framing
- Recent UNESCO decisions regarding the Meiji Industrial Revolution sites
Student Pre-Reading
Assign the main module (approximately 18 minutes reading time) plus one of the following:
- Dionisio (2023), "Memories of Bathtubs and Apples" — for advanced students
- The UNESCO 2021 State of Conservation report — for policy-focused courses
- Selected content from gunkanjima-truth.com — for critical media analysis
Technical Preparation
If conducting live searches during class, be aware that:
- Search results vary by location, language settings, and search history
- YouTube's algorithm may surface different content for different users
- Some Japanese-language content requires translation tools
- Consider using incognito/private browsing to minimise personalisation effects
In-Class Activities
Activity 1: Platform Comparison Exercise 30 minutes
Objective: Demonstrate how different platforms present different versions of Hashima's history.
Method
- Divide students into small groups, assigning each a different platform (Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Wikipedia, Google Images)
- Each group searches for "Gunkanjima" or "Hashima Island" and documents:
- What type of content appears first?
- How is forced labour mentioned (if at all)?
- What visual themes dominate?
- Who created the most prominent content?
- Groups present findings; class discusses patterns
Discussion Prompt
Why might platforms differ in how they present the same historical site? What design features of each platform encourage or discourage historical contextualisation?
Activity 2: Testimony Analysis 45 minutes
Objective: Develop critical skills for evaluating digital testimony as historical evidence.
Materials
- Video testimony from the Truth of Gunkanjima website (Japanese former resident)
- Documentary excerpt featuring Korean forced labour survivor
- Analysis worksheet (see downloadable resources)
Method
- Watch both testimonies (10–15 minutes total)
- Students complete analysis worksheet considering:
- Who produced this content and why?
- What is the witness's relationship to the events described?
- What can childhood memories tell us about wartime forced labour?
- How does production quality affect perceived credibility?
- What corroborating evidence exists?
- Class discussion on the politics of testimony
Caution: Frame this exercise carefully. The goal is not to create false equivalence but to understand how testimony is strategically deployed. Emphasise that documentary evidence, survivor accounts, and scholarly consensus support the reality of forced labour, regardless of Japanese residents' childhood memories.
Activity 3: YouTube Ecosystem Mapping 30 minutes
Objective: Understand how different categories of content construct competing narratives about Hashima.
Materials — Assign Groups to Analyse Specific Videos
Analysis Questions
- What period of Hashima's history does this content emphasise?
- What is absent from the narrative?
- How does visual framing shape interpretation?
- What audience does this content address?
- How might YouTube's recommendation algorithm connect this video to others?
Note: Most videos are in Japanese. Provide students with auto-translation options or focus on visual analysis for non-Japanese speakers.
Activity 4: Content Policy Workshop 40 minutes
Objective: Explore the challenges of content moderation for historical denialism.
Scenario
Students role-play as a platform Trust & Safety team reviewing flagged content about Hashima. Provide examples of:
- A video explicitly denying forced labour occurred
- A nostalgic testimony from a former Japanese resident
- A Korean documentary with graphic descriptions of abuse
- A ruin photography post with no historical context
- A comment thread with nationalist rhetoric from both sides
Discussion Questions
- Which content (if any) should be removed or labelled?
- How do we distinguish denialism from legitimate historical debate?
- Should platforms treat Japanese wartime atrocities the same as the Holocaust?
- What are the risks of both over-moderation and under-moderation?
Discussion Questions
Foundational Questions
- How does the "ruin aesthetic" on social media relate to the soft gatekeeping discussed in earlier modules?
- What makes personal testimony compelling on social media? How can this be exploited?
- Why might algorithmic systems favour certain types of heritage content over others?
Comparative Questions
- How does digital memory activism around Hashima compare to other contested heritage cases (comfort women memorials, Confederate monuments, colonial statues)?
- What lessons might the Hashima case offer for Holocaust education in the digital age?
- How do linguistic boundaries shape transnational memory disputes online?
Forward-Looking Questions
- What would responsible digital heritage preservation of Hashima look like?
- How might AI-generated content complicate heritage memory wars in the future?
- What role should educators play in addressing heritage misinformation online?
Assessment Options
Individual
Option A: Digital Audit
Students conduct a systematic analysis of Hashima-related content on a single platform, documenting content types, engagement patterns, and presence or absence of historical contextualisation. 1,500–2,000 words with screenshots and data visualisation.
Group
Option B: Counter-Narrative Project
Students design (but do not necessarily publish) a social media campaign that would provide historical context for Hashima without engaging in nationalist rhetoric. Must include platform strategy, content examples, and reflection on ethical challenges.
Essay
Option C: Comparative Essay
Compare the digital memory politics of Hashima with another contested heritage case (student choice with instructor approval). Analyse similarities and differences in platform dynamics, stakeholder strategies, and content moderation challenges. 2,500–3,000 words.
Policy
Option D: Policy Proposal
Draft a policy recommendation for a major platform regarding historical denialism content related to Japanese wartime atrocities. Must engage with existing platform policies, free speech considerations, and practical implementation challenges. 2,000 words plus policy document mock-up.
Adaptations
For Shorter Sessions (50–75 minutes)
Focus on the platform comparison exercise and one set of discussion questions. Assign the full module as pre-reading and use class time for application rather than content delivery.
For Longer Sessions (2–3 hours)
Include all four activities. Add a "digital archaeology" component where students trace the circulation history of specific viral Hashima content using tools like the Wayback Machine.
For Online/Asynchronous Teaching
Create a discussion forum where students post their platform search findings before synchronous discussion. Use collaborative annotation tools (Hypothesis, Perusall) for the module text. Consider breakout rooms for the content policy workshop.
For Non-Specialist Audiences
Begin with a brief overview of the Hashima case (Modules 01–03 provide foundation). Reduce emphasis on scholarly citations and increase emphasis on visual analysis and personal reflection.
Downloadable Resources
PDF worksheets and templates supporting this module are available in the Worksheets section.