My discovery project will be focusing on the parasocial relationship that some young social media users have with the Israel-Palestine conflict. The current war is obviously a complex issue, but the cause and effect pathways from various sides of the issue (specifically among young people) are fascinating. While some fight for social justice and have a strong desire to make a difference, others have turned to plain cruelty and bullying to get their point across. I will be examining three social media posts that each display a flaw in reasoning or oversight of the pro-Palestine movement as expressed online, along with how they affect those across the aisle in ways we may not expect.
#1: Performative activism
Unfortunately, amongst many well-meaning movements and individuals who want to inspire change, there are others who do not really know what they are supporting and simply virtue signaling to support what their peers do. This is exemplified in the following Instagram reel, featuring a comparison of pro-Palestine rallies on UCLA’s campus from 2023 to now. It features the standard hallmarks of these protests: students donning keffiyehs and watermelon novelties, along with the repeating of supposedly inspiring slogans from the crowd (from the river to the sea, globalize intifada, etc.) We see all these dogwhistles and symbols of supposed unity, but have any of these people made any tangible effort to better the situation of a Palestinian civilian? Some have, but many have not. Not to mention, since the ceasefire was announced there have been counter protests from people who claim to support Palestine. How does this performative protesting and slogan chanting really help Palestine in the end?
Link to original video
#2: Following the money
Another part of this movement’s mistakes when approaching the conflict is the issue of money, specifically charity donations. A TikTok creator recently released a video on her birthday: Instead of birthday gifts, she requests that viewers donate to one of two GoFundMe fundraisers linked in her bio. Both apparently go towards a young Palestinian man and his family, and they aim to fund a leg surgery for the man and new housing for his family. The creator was praised as selfless and kindhearted in the comments, but as well meaning as this gesture may have been, it unfortunately isn’t that simple. Many of these charities have been proven to be Egyptian or Qatari scammers profiting off the misery of the Palestinian people, and it isn’t always easy for the average generous person to prove where their money is really going. Some influencers will boost anything and everything having to do with Palestine, without ever verifying the reliability of the fundraisers that they are promoting. This also includes larger aid organizations, who often end up being revealed as Hamas outlets that siphon all the money for themselves and away from the civilians that the charity claims to help.
#3: The unintended consequences
The ripple effects of these dogmatic and aggressive approaches to this issue can show in ways that go far beyond the current conflict. In a video posted by an English-Pakistani beauty influencer (which was a life vlog that was completely unrelated to Israel or Palestine,) a user with a star of David and Israeli flag in her bio commented on how pretty the creator looked in her video. Simply due to her apparently being Jewish and/or Israeli, she was brutally attacked in the comments. Along with the standard “Free Palestine” comments (directed towards someone who has no power to actually do so), many more comments were plainly hateful:
“silence jew”
“I know hind rahab was so pretty too”
“You should try another cleanser than ethnic cleansing if you wanna look pretty like her babe”
In conclusion...
In the midst of a divisive conflict like this one, it is understandable that we may feel strongly motivated to fight for the side we feel is right. However, no conflict is truly solved without people understanding and empathizing with each other, no matter who they are or where they come from. This type of online rhetoric (while usually coming from a deeply felt place) can have drastic consequences if we don’t get the facts straight, and most importantly, remember that there are real people behind our screens. When the suffering of one people is deemed more valid or important than that of another, there can truly never be love and understanding for our fellow humans.