Performative content posted by veterans on social media risks commodifying the uniform

Cdr Shrikumar Sangiah (retd)

The rise of social media and the ‘influencer’ economy has in much the same way as society at large, altered how military veterans shape their online identities. On social media, many veterans now present themselves in ways that feel markedly different from the traditional veteran stereotypes of stoic reserve, humility, and restraint. Social media is, of late, flooded with veterans’ posts romanticising the armed forces, their rediscovery of the virtues of military life, fervid expressions of their new-found nationalism, or ‘leadership lessons’ drawn from anecdotes—some first-hand, some borrowed.

This performative, high-visibility behaviour by veterans involving dramatic storytelling is, on the surface, uplifting. But beneath the surface, lies a striking irony. Many of these same veterans, during their active years, were vocal critics of the very system that they now romanticise. Whilst in service, they complained about the military’s bureaucratic inefficiencies and the rigid hierarchies that they deemed stifling. Now, in retirement, they cannot stop extolling the virtues of the same system, preach deference to authority, and champion the many merits of military discipline. 

This behaviour is by no means universal. Many veterans continue to embody the quiet integrity and silent professionalism that defines military service. They use social media for posts with objective critiques of military policy, training, preparedness, or other such issues and frame it around improving the military rather than building a following.

The growing prevalence of performative behaviour also raises other fundamental questions. Is this behavioural shift a genuine evolution—born of reflection and introspection, or is it something contrived? Can the roots of this phenomenon be traced to nostalgia and the psychological aftermath of military life?

Nostalgia, derived from the Greek words ‘nostos' (return home) and ‘algos' (pain), was first identified in the 17th century by Swiss physician Johannes Hofer as a condition afflicting soldiers—manifesting as homesickness, anxiety, and melancholy. In the context of veterans, it morphs into a longing for the structured world of the barracks, the adrenaline of operations, and the sense of belonging that civilian life often fails to replicate. Psychological studies on the US civil war veterans described it as ‘soldier’s heart,’ where idle post-war life exacerbated symptoms, leading to boredom and a romanticised view of past hardships.

For modern-day vete