Holocaust survivors are using TikTok to tackle hate online

Nancy J. Smyth, professor and associate dean for faculty development in the School of Social Work, is quoted in a Business Insider story about Holocaust survivors who are detailing their lives during the Holocaust on TikTok in an effort to educate young people, counter denialism and “ensure nothing like that would ever happen again.”

The act of sharing traumatic memories, Smyth noted, can be retraumatizing and evoke vivid flashbacks. Moreover, these survivors may expose themselves to fresh waves of antisemitism in the comments, which can trigger fears that society is heading down a similar path. “As they’re trying to tell their stories, they’re probably reactivating some of those memory networks,” Smyth said, though she noted she hadn’t treated any of the Holocaust survivors BI interviewed. “When that comes up, sometimes you actually feel like you’re back there.”

This article was reposted by Yahoo! News.