Using one episode in the evolving story of the Eastern European “memory wars”, grassroots communication on SNS discussing the removal of Petras Cvirka’s monument by Vilnius City Council, we experimented combining the results of our evidence-based inquiry with the capabilities of ChatGPT to analyze actual SNS data, and simulate the generation of a speculative SNS conversation focusing on the Cvirka monument removal. This conference paper presents the methodology and preliminary results of this investigation, and discusses broader epistemological and ethical implications on the use of conversational generative AI in communication research.

This presentation reports on research conducted as part of "Connective digital memory in borderlands: a mixed-methods study of cultural identity, heritage communication and digital curation on social networks". The Connective project is funded by the European Social Fund under grant agreement 09.3.3-LMT-K-712-17-0027 with the Research Council of Lithuania (LMTLT).