Social media pages you’ll actually want to follow (Vol. 1): Badmatidaran

2026-03-04 - 14:34

Whether we like it or not, social media plays a defining role in shaping how we see the world today. The good news? We still have a say in what fills our feeds — at least for now — which makes being selective about who we follow more important than ever. I recently came across Badmatidaran, a page that immediately stood out for its clear, effective storytelling paired with strikingly simple visuals. The page demonstrates how social media can function as a meaningful tool for preserving and promoting Armenian culture and history without filtering it through trends or disguising it for broader appeal. During the interview, I learned that Badmatidaran was founded by Edward Tashjian and Hrant Kalemkerian. The idea behind the page was shaped by a convergence of personal and academic experiences. At its core was a sense of obligation. Upon his acceptance into the history B.A. program at the American University of Beirut, Edward applied for the Calouste Gulbenkian Undergraduate Scholarship, which asked candidates to define how they planned to give back to the Armenian community after graduation. One of his commitments was to share Armenian history through social media — an idea that eventually evolved into Badmatidaran, conceived as an ongoing project rather than a one-time initiative. Another turning point came during Edward’s first semester at AUB, when he discovered Heritage and Roots, founded by Charles Al-Hayek. The platform’s ability to present serious historical research in an accessible yet uncompromising way demonstrated that digital spaces could host depth without sacrificing clarity. That realization made launching a similar platform focused on Armenian history feel both achievable and timely. The most important motivation, however, for both Edward and Hrant was pedagogical. “We had seen firsthand, both in school and among our peers, how disengaged many young Armenians were from their own history. Armenian history was often experienced as rigid, repetitive or disconnected from broader historical contexts,” they said. Thus, Badmatidaran set out to address this gap by presenting Armenian history in a format that balances academic rigor with visual clarity and accessibility. “The goal was not to dilute the material but to rethink how it is communicated so that younger audiences could reconnect with it intellectually rather than treat it as an obligation,” they told the Weekly. Instagram deliberately became their primary platform because it is where their target audience already is. They acknowledge that younger Armenians consume information primarily through visual, short-form digital media, and Instagram allows historical material to be communicated in a way that aligns with those habits without sacrificing substance. Concentrating on a single platform allowed them to develop a clear visual language and editorial identity. However, they plan to expand Badmatidaran to other platforms such as TikTok, Facebook and even a WhatsApp channel to reach different segments of the Armenian public while maintaining the same historical standards — and eventually to launch a dedicated website. Both Edward and Hrant explain that Badmatidaran did not begin with a single story waiting to be told. Instead, it grew out of a broader observation: Armenian history online was often presented in ways that limited meaningful engagement. On social media, historical content tended to gravitate toward two poles: overly simplified, emotional narratives disconnected from context, or academically sound material that remained out of reach for most audiences. The space between those extremes remained largely unexplored. Language posed another challenge. Badmatidaran is among the first Armenian history platforms to consistently produce reels in Western Armenian. As the primary language of the Armenian diaspora — and one under increasing structural pressure — Western Armenian has rarely been positioned as a language of rigorous historical discussion. This choice not only expanded the project’s reach but also asserted the language’s capacity for analytical and scholarly use. The gap Badmatidaran addresses is less about subject matter and more about approach. It is methodological and linguistic, responding to how Armenian history is framed and communicated online and to the audiences it includes or excludes. Rather than focusing on rediscovery, the project is driven by the belief that Armenians need better conceptual, visual and linguistic tools to engage with their past in a sustained and meaningful way. The content at Badmatidaran is organized around a set of broad categories: historical events, influential figures, cultural achievements, diaspora stories and myth-busting. Within these categories, what is featured is not fixed; it emerges where personal curiosity, scholarly questions and broader reflections on Armenian identity intersect. They explain that some topics emerge naturally during research. Certain episodes or figures, though overlooked in public discussion, reveal themselves as historically significant. When choosing what to highlight, the guiding principle is depth, not novelty. The aim is not to chase obscure facts but to offer insights that enrich understanding of Armenian history. A second central criterion for Badmatidaran is the deconstruction of historical myths. Myths treated as history are rarely harmless: They simplify complexity, create false continuities and weaken collective historical understanding. The page confronts such narratives not to provoke but to replace inherited assumptions with evidence-based explanations. “The conviction underlying this approach is simple: A community with a clearer, more accurate understanding of its past is better equipped intellectually and politically than one sustained by comforting but fragile myths,” Edward and Hrant said. Another recurring focus of Badmatidaran is highlighting Armenian figures — artists, writers, musicians and public personalities — across diverse diasporic contexts. While these posts may appear to be simple biographical sketches, their intent goes deeper. “They are meant to implicitly illustrate how Armenians in the diaspora have not merely survived in their host societies but have actively participated in and shaped them,” they said. Examples such as an Armenian singer in Iran performing in Persian or an Armenian artist in Iraq working in Arabic — who becomes widely recognized beyond the Armenian community — reflect a form of integration that challenges narrow ideas of identity. “By highlighting such figures, Badmatidaran seeks to show that diaspora societies are not simply places of exile or temporary residence but spaces that have, over time, become homelands. This perspective complicates rigid notions of belonging and underscores the historical reality that Armenian identity has often been formed in dialogue with surrounding societies rather than in isolation,” they told the Weekly. The project’s aim is not simply to recover overlooked stories but to intervene in how Armenian history is understood, narrated and situated within wider historical and cultural frameworks. However, they believe that some Armenian events and figures fade into obscurity because they do not fit dominant narratives or myths communities repeat to reinforce identity. “What gets remembered often depends less on their importance than on how communities choose to tell their history.” They also noted that Badmatidaran’s work is not limited to preserving collective memory; it contributes to shaping it. “By choosing which stories, figures and perspectives to highlight, we influence how Armenians understand their past and how that history informs their identity today. This comes with the responsibility to remain accurate, nuanced and historically grounded, even when addressing myths or contested narratives.” Although they acknowledge that short-form social media content can at times limit their ability to fully realize this goal, they plan to launch a website soon where each post will be accompanied by a more in-depth article. When asked whether their decision to avoid flashy aesthetics in favor of substance was intentional from the outset, they confirmed that it was. From the beginning, Badmatidaran established a distinct visual identity using consistent templates occasionally adapted to suit specific content. The design approach remains deliberately minimal, as they believe overly decorative visuals can distract from the material itself. This simplicity ensures that the focus stays on the content — an essential principle, in their view, for serious historical work. In many ways, this approach feels particularly effective at a time when audiences are constantly exposed to hyper-polished visuals designed to capture attention rather than convey meaning. The emphasis on visual perfection can sometimes mask the absence of meaningful content, which makes Badmatidaran’s restrained, content-first strategy especially compelling. When asked about their language choices — why some videos are in English while most content appears in Armenian and how they determine which language to use — they explained that the decision has largely been shaped by audience response. Initially, they maintained a 1-to-1 ratio for their videos, producing one in English and one in Western Armenian. They assumed English would attract a broader audience. However, Western Armenian videos consistently performed better. As a result, they now produce video content exclusively in Western Armenian. For photo essays, the pattern proved to be the opposite: English-language posts reached significantly wider audiences, leading them to adopt English as the primary language for that format. These decisions, they noted, are guided by engagement patterns and may continue to evolve over time. Their conclusion so far is telling: Diasporan Armenians on Instagram enjoy hearing Western Armenian but are far less inclined to read it. Social media platforms such as Instagram function in a uniquely hybrid way — simultaneously as archives and classrooms. They make it possible to preserve, organize and widely circulate historical material while also creating space for immediate engagement and dialogue. For younger audiences especially, these platforms render history more accessible and interactive, transforming learning into a visual and participatory experience. In this sense, social media contributes to the democratization of Armenian history, extending it beyond traditional academic or institutional settings. “As of now, we consistently use material from our own family archives. In doing so, we not only gain content but also preserve it in a digital space,” they said. In addition to expanding Badmatidaran to other social media platforms, they aim to connect with historians, conduct interviews and create content that sparks broader conversations about Armenian history. When asked whether not knowing these stories creates gaps in how people understand contemporary social or political realities, they said it does. Understanding history provides essential context for interpreting today’s social and political dynamics. Gaps in historical knowledge can distort perceptions of identity, power and intergroup relations, often leading people to oversimplify current conflicts or misunderstand the roots of communal dynamics. By studying history, individuals can identify patterns, recognize contingencies and critically assess present circumstances rather than treating them as isolated or inevitable events. In conclusion, they emphasized the vital role independent educational pages play in fostering critical thinking. By offering perspectives outside official narratives, these platforms challenge assumptions and encourage audiences to engage actively with information rather than accept it passively. Pages like Badmatidaran contribute to shaping society by questioning widely accepted stories. They deconstruct myths, highlight overlooked histories and situate Armenians in dialogue with the broader world. In doing so, they encourage audiences to approach the past historically rather than nostalgically and to think critically rather than passively. As easy as it is to become frustrated by social media’s overload of trivial content, we can shift that dynamic by remembering that we control what we consume. By filtering out superficial material and supporting smaller creators who prioritize meaningful contributions over trend-driven aesthetics, we cultivate feeds that teach us about our past and remind us how rich and vibrant our culture truly is.