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https://orcid.org/0009-0007-5240-4014
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4973-7583
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3559-4318
Item number
Vol. 4 No. 1 (2026)
ISSN: 2792-9280
Published: 2026-06-13
This study analyzes the comparative effectiveness of documentary films and Instagram videos as educommunicative tools for teaching the Palestinian narrative in the university setting. In a context marked by digital saturation and the hegemony of algorithms that act as “gatekeepers” of information, the study examines how different media logics shape knowledge acquisition, perceptions of credibility, and the historical memory of Generation Z. Using a mixed-methods approach, a pedagogical intervention for media studies undergraduates is designed, structured into three sessions that constitute three phases of implementation: pre-viewing, comparative viewing, and post-viewing activities focused on active learning. The theoretical framework integrates educommunication, informal learning, and postcolonial theory to examine the transition from cinematic “archives of resistance” to the “floating digital homes” of social media, including the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The expected results suggest that, while documentary films provide greater contextual depth and narrative coherence, Instagram videos facilitate high emotional engagement and immediate accessibility, albeit with the risk of fragmenting historical knowledge. The study concludes that developing critical media literacy is essential for students to identify algorithmic biases and protect narrative sovereignty against colonial erasure. The findings offer a replicable pedagogical model for using media as laboratories for social justice and political empowerment.
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