Palestine Bait Reels
By: Faustina Canika Zhu
Israel-Hamas war has been going on for about a year now, since its starting date on the 7 October 2023. It consists of an armed conflict between Israel and the Hamas-led Palestinian militant organizations in the territory of Gaza and Israel. The 2023 war consists of the fifth one that happened ever since the first Gaza-Israel conflict in 2008.
As a result of this war, many people have turned to social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok to update themselves regarding the real-time conflict happening. These platforms have also been found to be filled with content regarding Palestinian victims as a result of the Israel-Hamas war, creating a particular impression on people.
While some of the content may accurately reflect the conditions happening right now, there have been recent claims by media companies of misleading information spreading creating an illusion of reality. Conspiracy theories have also started to evolve in Instagram reels, Tiktok, as well as Facebook, including false claims and disinformation.
As a result of these actions, various schools in the United States and the United Kingdom have advised parents to delete their children’s social media accounts to protect them from images regarding dead or bloodied bodies. Aside from the actions of parents, social media platforms such as youtube have claimed that they removed thousands of videos since the conflict began in 2023, and is still continuing to observe for hate content or disturbing images that do not comply with its terms & conditions.
In conclusion, while social media can be a tool for learning and recent news updates, it is also important for us to filter the content and to not blindly believe in everything that is projected to us. With the Palestine bait reels as an example, we should be more mindful of the content present on social media as it may not always be accurate all the time.