The Filipino comfort women on YouTube: Emotions, advocacy, and war memories in a transnational digital space

Abstract

In this article, we examine the representation and contestation of Filipino comfort women’s memories on YouTube and assess the platform’s role in public discourse and transnational activism. Our content analysis of visual and narrative elements, alongside user commentary on selected videos, reveals that YouTube acts as a crucial transnational medium, linking advocacy networks and contextualizing historical narratives. However, the videos often sensationalize the victims’ experiences, undermining the seriousness of sexual violence, which could potentially weaken advocacy efforts. Moreover, user commentary on the videos can promote counter-narratives, rumors, and hostile comments. Despite these challenges, we underscore YouTube’s significance in fostering public discourse on war memories and justice in the Philippines in light of the government’s efforts to suppress the history of Filipino comfort women. The platform encourages the sharing of corroborative postmemory, enhancing war memorialization and audience engagement, and supporting the women’s claims of abuse. Ultimately, YouTube’s role as an open forum for discussion is vital in fostering dialogues for peace and justice and countering propaganda and hate.