Social media platforms have been flooded with posts about the ongoing Israel-Hamas war since Hamas, the armed group that rules the Gaza Strip, launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Some creators use their platforms for educational purposes, while others post polarizing claims and misinformation.
Jerusalem-based Jewish educator Netta Asner-Minster has been using her Instagram platform, where she has more than 20,000 followers, to share donations and personal stories from Israelis.
“It’s like an outlet and a way to express what’s going on and feel like I’m contributing,” Asner-Minster said.
Many creators have been sharing similar stories to raise awareness about innocent people caught in the middle of conflict.
Mais is a yoga instructor living in Dubai whose family became refugees in Palestine during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. She asked that her last name be kept anonymous because of her hateful messages in the past. She uses her Instagram platform, where she has over 24,000 followers, to educate and share information resources about the Palestinian crisis. She still has many family and friends living in the West Bank, Israel and Gaza.
We pour out our hopes, fears and hate on social media.
Instagram, TikTok, X, Facebook and more have seen millions of posts about the war since it began. The Economic Times reported. In one weekend, X saw over 50 million posts about the conflict. As an answerAccording to Al Jazeera news service, they “removed newly created accounts associated with Hamas” and updated their policy on what was deemed newsworthy.
Fighting between Hamas and the Israeli government has continued since Hamas' first attack, in which hundreds were kidnapped and killed in Israel, and Israeli retaliation that claimed the lives of more than 22,000 Palestinians. Innocent civilians on both sides were injured and driven from their homes.
This war is just the latest escalation from decades ago. Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Arab-Israeli war that followed the British occupation of the region in 1948 led to the establishment of the state of Israel and resulted in the displacement of thousands of Palestinians.
Tensions have been rising in the region, especially since Israel took control of the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 1967. Six Day War.
Palestinians have been protesting against Israel's military occupation of the two areas and its treatment of Palestinians living there ever since, the Palestinians said. diplomatic association. Violence increased in 2007 with the emergence of terrorist groups. hamas After Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip, it took control of the Gaza Strip. According to Reuters.
Social media response to real-world violence and terrorism
Social media platforms have become a source of mass information and misinformation about the war.
Columbia University professor Rashid Khalidi writes in his book “The Hundred Years’ War with Palestine” that Palestinians first gained a voice in Western media in 1967 when the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) emerged as an independent Palestinian actor.
Now social media is helping to amplify these stories.
“It’s very common for there to be no Palestinian who was born and raised in Palestine but has a cause, a mission and a name in their heart,” Mais said.
Neither Mais nor Asner-Minster's regular content centers around Israeli-Palestinian politics, but both are choosing to post about the topic in light of the current situation of violence.
“I decided I didn’t want to share horror videos and I didn’t want to share too much about politics,” Asner-Minster said. “I just use my platform to give voice to everyday people living in Israel and how it affects us.”
We share difficult realities with the wider world.
Asner Minster posted a video On Oct. 7, she made sure her family was safe and shared her personal story with her followers about running to a bomb shelter with her one-year-old daughter after hearing Red Alert sirens in Jerusalem (an alert that signals a rocket launch).
Mais also shares personal thoughts and posts about the conflict. “I repost and reshare a lot of sources I trust, have seen and verified, and do research,” Mais said. “I also create my own videos and content, especially around misinformation originating in the West or Europe.”
Mais believes Western media headlines can be misleading. They lack background knowledge on: history of oppression Among the Palestinian people, she said.
“It’s censored, minimalistic, misguided and misleading,” Mais said. “So I think it’s very important, whether you follow Israeli content creators or Palestinian content creators, to be a more trustworthy source than the news outlet or the media.”
But social media is also notorious for spreading misinformation and polarization. According to research at the University of Southern California (USC)
Social media can stir up hostility.
Common social media metaphors are broad, one-sided, and generalized statements. one instagram poster “If you support Palestine, it means you agree that Jews have no right to live in Israel.”
Other Posted: “To be on the side of Israel is to be on the side of genocide.” Posts like this are common on social media, equating being pro-Israel or pro-Palestinian with certain negative characteristics.
In reality, being a “professional” can mean many different things. A person can side with the people and state of Israel and at the same time criticize the government's actions. A person may side with the Palestinian people and condemn the actions of Hamas.
viral tiktok video 'Western media is extremely white supremacist, and this is how racism works.' With over 4.4 million views. Israelis are white, Palestinians are not white.”
It's easy to trust the creator with a confident tone of voice. But creators are not experts in conflict. The video is stitched. A non-white Israeli refuted that claim. However, millions of people viewed the original video and misinformation spread.
Oversimplified statements like those seen in the Instagram infographic do not take into account the nuances of the conflict, as well as the innocent people actually harmed, according to the USC study. They erase the history and emotions that come with decades of struggle.
Emotions cannot be reduced to a short post.
Asner-Minster and Mais described a constant sense of anxiety about family and friends that couldn't be contained in a three-sentence-long social media infographic.
“I constantly feel like any time the siren goes off I have to jump up and go to the bomb shelter,” Asner-Minster said. “And there’s a feeling that you don’t know what’s going to happen at any moment.”
Mys said he has similar concerns about his loved ones in Gaza.
“I feel very disoriented and sometimes unable to function properly at work or with my family,” Mais said. “Here in Dubai, I have so many friends who are equally distressed, mentally exhausted and disoriented because of their humanitarian causes. It is never easy to see this.”
They also say that categorizing people as either “pro” or “anti” if they disagree with the creator has an extremely polarizing effect that can easily spread through social media. analyze Written by Business Insider reporters Kelsey Vlamis and Erin Snodgrass, October 13, 2023.
I hope the good can overcome the bad
But while social media has its downsides, both Asner-Minster and Mais expect their platforms to see good spread.
Asner-Minster and Mais, along with many other creators, are posting long explainer videos in addition to infographic-style posts. They both believe it is important to share real information and educate.
“Me and my family are trying to hold on,” Mays said. “We are trying to remain strong because we know we must be the voice of those who are not heard. And we need to keep posting about it. “We must continue to shed light on what is happening.”
Asner-Minster finds it helpful to post personal stories from everyday people. “Maybe they're things that don't necessarily get covered in the news because they're not as visible or newsworthy enough,” she explained.
Mais hopes that educating and sharing the truth will help lead to more understanding and empathy.
“Keep spreading the truth as much as you can in the hope that one day we can find a beautiful coexistence,” Mais said.