‘Theatres of War’: Visual Technologies and Identities in the Iraq Wars

Abstract

The proliferation and development of media during the current war in Iraq and the opening of the Iraqi media landscape, which had heretofore been dampened through authoritarian state control and international isolation due to economic sanctions, has played a role in political articulation and identity formation throughout the occupation in a fashion not seen during previous conflicts. The adoption of media tools, emerging as both technology and its applications – often referred to as Web 2.0 – impacted both combatants and civilians caught within the conflict providing them the opportunity to capture and articulate their own experience in a fashion never before available. This investigation points to the potential impacts on current political action, the resourcefulness of opposition access to media, as well as dangers posed through the emotive content most often produced. We argue that while such media production is disassociated from surrounding events (or decontextualised), its nonetheless trusted and impactful due to its viral distribution and sourcing networks and diverse in its impact on those not intimately involved due to its lack of overarching narrative and production away from sites of power.