The Role of Social Media (Instagram - TikTok) in Disinformation (Reuters - Washington Post) in the Israeli Attacks on Gaza
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51699/cajitmf.v7i2.1220Keywords:
Media Disinformation, Social Media, Gaza War & Media BiasAbstract
The study focused on the role of social media in challenging misinformation in the war on Gaza, and it depended on an integrated methodology relying on quantitatively and qualitatively analyzing data. It was the fact that platforms like TikTok and Instagram have become indispensable tools in revealing the bias of the media and traditional media like Reuters and the Washington Post. In this study, great reliance was placed on harvesting data during the critical period between October and December in 2023 from the several social media platforms and traditional media outlets, with no less emphasis placed on the survey of media experts as well as activist groups for interaction patterns and content diffusion paths. The findings showed that coverage by traditional media was notably pro-Israel in nature, repeating talking points in the Israeli narrative like “precision strikes,” even as UN reports were detailing the wholesale destruction of entire neighborhoods. A disparity in coverage standards was also noted — Israeli victims were named while Palestinians became numbers even when most of them were women and children. By contrast, social media succeeded in revealing these contradictions through fact-checking materials that went viral, in which users simply compared claims being made in the media with footage from the ground itself, like comparing reports of "aid arriving" with lines of hungry people. Seventy percent of experts agreed that social media has revealed misinformation, and with 82 percent saying TikTok has done this the best through its short, viral videos, while Instagram placed second, thanks to its algorithm-trap limitations. Yet, when it comes to reform of editorial policies at major media organizations due to social pressure, 45% of experts felt that this had still not happened with only minor adjustments of coverage made and no formal acknowledgment of bias. These insights must then be understood in light of how the ground war has morphed into one of narratives, where the visual and emotional potential of social networks has, indeed, managed to pierce the monopoly of reigning narratives, suggesting there is still much work to be done by the platforms to have a one-time sustainable impact on key news media policies.
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