Wir freuen uns, eine neue Publikation von Julia Quast bekanntgeben zu können:
Julia Quast: »H0-l0-cAu5t«. Strategien im Umgang mit dem Holocaust auf YouTube, in: Franke et al. (Hg.): Fake History und Social Media. Digitale Geschichtsbilder zwischen Algorithmen und Desinformation, Bielefeld 2026, S. 153-170. Online: <https://www.transcript-verlag.de/978-3-8376-7831-4/fake-history-und-social-media/?number=978-3-8394-1457-6&c=311024664>.
Abstract: This article examines how the value chain of attention economy-based platforms
such as YouTube influences the presentation of history. Using two examples, the
problem of advertising suitability for historical storytelling is discussed, with a focus
on the portrayal of World War II and the Holocaust. Since videos dealing with violent
crimes are sanctioned by YouTube as unsuitable for advertising, this poses particular
challenges for teaching about World War II. This article therefore aims to outline the
problem and show how YouTubers deal with these restrictions (sometimes in very creative
ways) in order to avoid so-called demonetization (i.e., the removal of their videos
from the value chain). The focus is on a video by YouTuber Martin Keary about composer
Dmitri Shostakovich, which was demonetized after mentioning several »problematic«
terms such as the Holocaust and names such as Joseph Stalin, and was then re-uploaded
by Keary. The measures he took to avoid a repeat provide important insights into how
the platform works. The other example is provided by the YouTube channel @World-
WarTwo, which recounts the Second World War in real time, week by week, over a total
period of more than six years. Here, something is being drawn upon that I will refer to as
narrative division. In this project in particular, the presented view of history is analyzed
and problematized.
