Recently, on Oct.10, a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas was struck. Both sides were told to adhere to the rules of the agreement, exchange hostages, and ensure safe travels. Although the ceasefire deal is not the end of the Gaza conflict, social media can see the ceasefire happening in real time. In the region over 70,000 (68,172 Palestinians and 1,983 Israelis) have died, and many others have had their lives destroyed due to the conflict between Israel and Hamas. This conflict has received increased attention online from many people across the world. 

Social media apps like Instagram, TikTok and YouTube have had posts not only about what is happening in Gaza but from Palestinians themselves, showing the dire situation and begging for humanitarian assistance. Hope Yonehara and Josiah Schade from the Speech and Debate team have been aware of the Gaza conflict through social media posts. Yonehara said, “The issue is very polarized. People have very strong opinions, for Israel or for Gaza…there’s no real middle ground.” 

The ceasefire remains elusive amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. Both Yonehara and Schade mentioned the social pressure that online attention has placed on the conflict in Gaza. The younger generation of Gen Z has seen the impact that the conflict has had in real time. Schade said, “Social media has definitely changed how a younger generation and adults see the conflict, because I think a lot of young adults are not watching traditional news anymore. They are getting their news from social media.” 

Since social media is a place where a variety of videos can be watched about any opinion or topic, the question stands if social media could adversely affect the sharing of information about the conflict. Creators on social media platforms can influence the audience's opinions. Schade said that, “Creators with large fan bases definitely use that to their advantage.. not in a negative way, but it’s just using the tools that are available to you.” 

Not only are social media creators influencing talks about the Gaza conflict, but so are the algorithms that are in social media apps like Instagram. We see how creators use analogies or other words to talk about certain suppressed ideas. Yonehara shared light that the language used to describe the conflict matters, saying how “Language constructs reality. We have to make sure we are using it in ways that help people, because if we don’t, the people that it’s affecting, our talks, and language will affect their reality.”

Tags: World News

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