Ms23.07

Analysis of Latvian Celebrity Communication and Charity Concerts during the Fatigue Phase of the War in Ukraine (February–April 2023)

https://doi.org/10.22364/ms23.07 | pp. 61-72 | PDF

Aloiza Meldere
University of Latvia

Abstract. The aim of the current paper is to explore how concerts function as tools for communication and mobilization during the phase of war fatigue, and how the involved celebrities promote public engagement to facilitate fundraising and collection of donations. The theoretical framework is based on the concepts of social proof, ritual theory, and the term “war fatigue”. The empirical part consists of qualitative content analysis, examining the content of celebrities’ accounts in social media platforms such as Instagram and Twitter. Additionally, a survey was conducted, along with a partially structured interview with Ralfs Eilands, and an open observation was also carried out. The research concludes that concerts are effective mobilization tools during the phase of war fatigue. People’s interaction with war-related news decreases during the period of war fatigue, and celebrities tend to make posts primarily during event times, followed by a rapid decrease in communication afterwards.

Keywords: Twitter, Instagram, war fatigue, war in Ukraine

In: Media and Society, 2023. Proceedings of Scientific Papers = Mediji un sabiedrība, 2023. Rakstu krājums. Riga, University of Latvia, 2024. 108 p.