Abstract
Ukraine’s conflict is helping to highlight the underlying logic of conflict representation and participation, including affective and empathic involvement. In particular, some interpretations in the literature suggest that media images would draw viewers’ attention to the conflicts of Others, whether geographically or culturally distant. This theoretical paper examines such mechanisms in the complex ecosystem of online platforms, which are sometimes naively perceived as powerful triggers for affective participation. Using classical approaches to understanding media’s role in conflicts, such as the CNN Effect, we will explore how visibility mechanisms activate sensible politics. In this way, the Ukrainian conflict is a laboratory for observing scenarios in the making.