Constructing collective memory in social media: a multimodal analysis of red tourism advertising discourse in China

This study investigates the construction of collective memory through social media platforms by examining red tourism advertising in Chinese social media (2018–2023). Through multimodal analysis of 237 advertising materials, the author explores how digital platforms transform traditional mechanisms of historical memory transmission. The study employs an integrated methodological framework combining multimodal discourse analysis with user reception studies to examine how different semiotic resources interact in digital memory construction. The findings demonstrate that integrating of textual, visual, and audial modalities in social media creates an effective environment to transmit and internalize historical experiences. Analysis reveals how multimodal discourse in social platforms fosters new memory ecology, where the converging semiotic resources enable deeper assimilation of collective experiences. User reception analysis confirms that multimodal content organization, combining rational comprehension with emotional engagement, significantly enhances mnemonic identification processes. This paper contributes to understanding how digital platforms are transforming collective memory construction, offering insights into the potential of multimodal discourse in social media for preserving and transmitting historical heritage in the digital age. The findings advance theoretical perspectives on digital memory studies while demonstrating how traditional historical narratives may be effectively adapted to modern communication formats.