نوع مقاله : مقاله پژوهشی
عنوان مقاله English
نویسندگان English
The expansion of social media platforms with international audiences and the growing popularity of short-form video content have transformed the ways political and military events are represented, making short LEGO animations an emerging format of media storytelling. This study aims to examine how Iran’s role in the Ramadan War is represented in short LEGO animations and to explore the potential of these productions as instruments of media diplomacy. Adopting a qualitative approach, the research employed thematic analysis based on Braun and Clarke’s six-phase framework. The research corpus consisted of LEGO animations related to the Ramadan War published on social media platforms, from which six samples were purposively selected and analyzed. The findings revealed that the representational pattern of these animations is organized around five major themes: (1) compression and simplification of war narratives, (2) heroization and legitimization of Iran’s actions, (3) representation of threat and construction of the “Other,” (4) emotional mobilization of audiences, and (5) adaptation to platform logic and the attention economy. These themes indicate that, by simplifying complex conflicts, emphasizing Iran’s role, and exploiting both the narrative and algorithmic affordances of social media platforms, short LEGO animations actively contribute to shaping audience perceptions and constructing political narratives. The study concludes that these productions should be understood not merely as entertainment but as emerging tools of political representation, media diplomacy, and the enhancement of soft power within the social media environment.
کلیدواژهها English
