Transformed by contested digital spaces? Social media and Ukrainian diasporic ‘selves’ in the wake of the conflict with Russia

Abstract

Abstract The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine has had a profound effect not only on the warring countries but also on diasporas that are related to them. Bringing together theories of diasporic identities and new media, this paper explores how Ukrainian diasporic ‘selves’ are affected by the ongoing conflict with the focus on the role of social media in the formation of their national and ethnic identities. With a series of in‐depth interviews conducted in Europe and North America, this study identifies the functions of social media in diasporic self‐understanding, representation of national culture and online commemoration and mourning. The findings reveal that social media provide diasporic subjects with a space for the negotiation and performance of ethnic and national identities. Within this space, however, they experience ongoing contestation that makes ‘new’ diaspora members more prone to relate to the radicalised discourses on national history, explanations of the conflict and Ukrainian monolingualism.