Modern Warfare: The Impact of Social Media on Citizen Journalism in Interstate Conflicts involving Ukraine

Abstract

This thesis explores Ukrainian citizen journalism on social media during the first three months of the 2022 Russian invasion. It aims to fill a gap in the research regarding the use of social media by citizens during domestic conflicts and interstate conflicts. This study defines ‘citizen journalists’ in the social-media age by building on the existing literature. I identify them primarily as residents of a country, who use their personal social media accounts to publish original content that has news value. I identified types and strategies of citizen journalism by analyzing 50 X (formerly Twitter) accounts covering the period from February 24, 2022, to May 31, 2022. Additionally, I conducted personal interviews with citizen journalists, mediators, and media members, aiming to gather further insights to add to the quantitative findings. This study found that Ukrainian citizens produce citizen journalism using social media to appeal to Western, English-speaking audiences. The journalists do this out of a sense of civic duty, combined with a desire to participate in some manner, while also aiming to combat online propaganda about the war. Editorial standards—both among those formally trained in journalism and those who are first-time content producers—are apparent in the major efforts taken to identify sources. Techniques such as photos and videos are expanded, especially following their use as fact-checking tools during Euromaidan. Such techniques are favored by international audiences that are the direct target of citizen journalists. Audience responses confirm the hypothesis that the news landscape on social media is shifting in favor of personal content, including diary-style posts, indicating that the use of social media by citizen journalists empowers more frequent, personal contributions to news stories, which in turn is likely to impact the way Western, English- speaking audiences are informed.