Images of Palestinians in Gaza fleeing Israeli airstrikes, digging in the ashes of collapsed buildings for loved ones and surveying the ruins of their cities have flooded the social media feeds of Americans for nearly two years.
But in recent months, as an increasing number of Gazans grapple with starvation, more videos posted on TikTok, Instagram and X have shown emaciated children begging for food and hunting for clean water, giving people a close-up view of the war’s grinding toll.
The change in online content has unfolded alongside Americans’ shifting views on Israel. In a poll from The New York Times and Siena University this week, more Americans sided with Palestinians over Israelis for the first time since The Times began asking voters their sympathies in 1998.
The rising disapproval of the war was driven by a sharp decline in support from Democratic voters, the poll found. While Republican voters largely continued supporting Israel, the poll also showed a modest drop in their support.
Many factors account for the shift, but social media has played a role as the Israel-Gaza war has been widely discussed in online communities, internet experts said.
“Israel’s public position — a nation forced into a defensive war and making every effort to minimize civilian casualties — is eroded by more documentary evidence each day” online, said Emerson Brooking, the director of strategy at the Digital Forensic Research Lab of the Atlantic Council, which studies online communities.
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The post Social Media’s Changing Narrative of the Israel-Gaza War appeared first on New York Times.
