When violence erupts in Indian states like Manipur or when communal tensions intensify in different parts of the country, public discussions often focus on political failures, security concerns, or historical grievances. These factors are undeniably important. Yet another question receives far less attention: How do young people learn to imagine themselves in relation to conflict, identity, and the communities around them?
In contemporary India, much of that learning happens through the media. Films, streaming platforms, short videos, political content, memes, and social media discussions have become powerful spaces where ideas about masculinity, nationalism, religion, and belonging are produced and circulated. For many young people, the media is no longer simply entertainment. It has become part of their everyday political and emotional education.
This transformation has occurred alongside a period of increasing digital connectivity. According to UNESCO, more than half of internet users regularly depend on social media for news and public information, while concerns about misinformation and online hate speech continue to rise globally. UNESCO’s recent Media and Information Literacy initiatives also emphasize that young people are among the most significant consumers and disseminators of digital content today.
In India, where questions of religion, caste, ethnicity, and nationalism remain deeply sensitive, the influence of media narratives becomes particularly significant. The stories societies tell about themselves often shape how communities perceive one another. Media does not directly cause violence, but it can contribute to the emotional and ideological conditions in which prejudice, fear, and hostility become normalized.
One of the most striking developments in recent years has been the growing popularity of hypermasculine figures across film and digital culture. These characters frequently appear as protectors, avengers, or defenders of family, faith, and nation. Their appeal lies partly in their certainty. They rarely negotiate. They rarely doubt. Problems are solved through confrontation rather than dialogue.
Recognising these challenges, international organisations have increasingly begun treating digital platforms as critical sites of peacebuilding. One notable example is UNESCO’s Social Media 4 Peace (SM4P) initiative, which seeks to address the spread of harmful online content, including hate speech, misinformation, and disinformation, while simultaneously protecting freedom of expression and access to information. The program is founded on the understanding that digital content can deepen social fractures and, in highly polarised societies, contribute to offline violence. Rather than relying solely on regulation, SM4P promotes social resilience through responsible digital engagement, media literacy, and the cultivation of narratives that encourage dialogue and mutual understanding. Significantly, the initiative acknowledges that effective peacebuilding must be grounded in local cultural and social realities, adapting its strategies to the specific contexts in which conflicts emerge.
For young audiences navigating economic uncertainty, social change, and political anxiety, such figures can become powerful models of identification. Strength is often associated with aggression, while empathy is dismissed as weakness. In these narratives, masculinity is defined not only by power but also by the existence of an enemy against whom that power must be demonstrated.
The consequences become more complex when such narratives intersect with religious or political identities. Public discourse in India has increasingly witnessed polarized representations of communities, particularly within digital spaces. Muslim identities are sometimes framed through the language of suspicion, threat, or cultural incompatibility, while majoritarian forms of nationalism are linked to authenticity and belonging. These representations do not emerge solely from cinema; it frequently participates in broader cultural conversations that shape public perception.
The impact of these narratives extends beyond movie theatres. Film dialogues, scenes, and political interpretations circulate through Instagram reels, YouTube shorts, and WhatsApp groups, often detached from their original contexts. A cinematic image can quickly become a political symbol. A fictional conflict can be reframed as evidence of a real social threat. Algorithms further amplify emotionally charged content because outrage and fear tend to generate higher engagement than nuance or reflection.
Research on social media polarization suggests that digital environments often encourage users to engage primarily with viewpoints that reinforce their existing beliefs. Such echo chambers can intensify divisions and reduce opportunities for meaningful dialogue across communities. This is particularly important in a country where a large proportion of the population is young. Youth is not simply a demographic category; it is a stage of identity formation. The ways young people understand citizenship, difference, and belonging can influence the future of democratic life itself. For this reason, peacebuilding must be understood as more than the absence of violence. It is also the creation of cultural conditions that allow diverse communities to coexist with dignity and mutual respect. Political agreements and security measures are important, but sustainable peace also depends on everyday narratives, social relationships, and public imagination.
One useful approach is narrative peacebuilding. At its core, narrative peacebuilding recognises that conflicts are sustained not only by material realities but also by stories. Communities inherit stories about themselves, about their past, and about those they perceive as others. When these stories are dominated by fear, humiliation, or hostility, conflict becomes easier to justify. When stories emphasise shared experiences and common humanity, possibilities for coexistence become more visible.
India already possesses rich traditions of pluralism that can contribute to such efforts. Independent cinema, regional films, documentaries, and community media projects have often provided more nuanced portrayals of identity than mainstream commercial narratives. Stories that foreground interfaith friendships, everyday coexistence, and shared struggles can challenge rigid binaries of “us” and “them” without denying the existence of real social tensions.
Equally important is media literacy. UNESCO has repeatedly highlighted media and information literacy as a crucial democratic skill in the digital age. Its programs focus on helping citizens critically evaluate information, recognise misinformation, and engage responsibly with media content. Such interventions are increasingly relevant for younger audiences who encounter political information through fragmented digital ecosystems rather than traditional news platforms. Media literacy should not be treated merely as a technical skill. It is also a civic practice. When students learn how narratives are constructed, how stereotypes operate, and how emotions are mobilized through media, they become better equipped to resist manipulation. Critical engagement encourages reflection rather than reaction.
Educational institutions can play a significant role here. Film discussions, digital citizenship programs, and intercultural dialogue initiatives can help young people develop more complex understandings of identity and conflict. These spaces encourage conversation across differences rather than retreat into ideological camps. The entertainment industry itself also has an important responsibility. Popular culture possesses enormous power to shape collective imagination. Inclusive storytelling does not require abandoning conflict as a theme. Instead, it requires portraying conflict with complexity and responsibility. Narratives that humanise different communities, explore moral ambiguity, and foreground empathy can contribute to a healthier public culture. None of these measures offers immediate solutions to deeply rooted social tensions. However, peacebuilding is rarely achieved through a single intervention. It emerges through sustained cultural, educational, and political efforts that reshape how societies understand themselves.
In contemporary India, the struggle for peace is not confined to borders, legislatures, or negotiation tables. It is also taking place on screens, in digital networks, and within the stories that young people encounter every day. If media narratives can contribute to polarization, they can also become powerful tools for nurturing understanding.
Keywords: India, youth, media, film, movies, cinema, violence, peace, conflict, conflict resolution, screen
Kiran Raveendran
Dr. Kiran Raveendran is an Assistant Professor of English at Yenepoya (Deemed to be
University), Mangalore. He earned his Ph.D. in Literature and Cultural Studies from the
National Institute of Technology Karnataka (NITK), Surathkal. His teaching and research
interests lie at the intersections of cultural studies, film studies, regional cinema and gender
studies. His scholarship particularly focuses on the representation of subaltern identities in
cinema and media, with an emphasis on how these portrayals shape and reflect broader
socio-cultural attitudes. More recently, his research has examined the cultural and social
construction of marginalised identities in South Asia, exploring the ways in which popular
media both reinforces and resists normative discourses. He has collaborated with various
reputed international publication houses such as Routledge, Taylor and Francis, Emerald etc.
and has published many research articles indexed in Scopus and Web of Science. Beyond
academia, he actively engages with film and culture, volunteering and participating in
platforms such as film festivals.
