warning Hi, we've moved to USCANNENBERGMEDIA.COM. Visit us there!

Neon Tommy - Annenberg digital news

Israel And Hamas Continue Fight On Social Media

Anna Catherine Brigida |
November 26, 2012 | 5:19 p.m. PST

Staff Reporter

"Israeli Flag" (Creative Commons).
"Israeli Flag" (Creative Commons).
Although Israel and Hamas signed a cease-fire agreement on Nov. 21, both sides still fired on the social media front.

Official groups and individuals used Twitter to showcase their side of the story using flaming rhetoric #IsraelUnderFire and #GazaUnderFire. 

This rhetoric may have stemmed from Facebook and Twitter accounts IsraelUnderFire, created by Israeli Ministry of Public Diplomacy on Nov. 15.

IsraelUnderFire recently tweeted, “Did you know this about #Hamas?” They linked to a video conveying their message of Hamas’ violence against Israel. 

OccupiedPalestine recently tweeted pictures of what they call the “devastation after Israel’s massacre” to show their side of the story.

Israel Defense Forces tweeted live updates during the offensive. Most recently, IDF tweeted about the help they are offering in Gaza. 

Morley Winograd, author of "Millennial Makeover: MySpace, YouTube, and the Future of American Politics," commented on the impact social media can have on politics. 

“Social media is a new tool for political operatives to use to get their point across,” he said.

"Free Gaza" (Creative Commons)
"Free Gaza" (Creative Commons)
The mode of social media is just as important as the actual message, according to Winograd. 

“Twitter in particular has proven itself as an important journalistic tool for immediacy,” Winograd said. 

He also recognized that there are flaws with conveying a message through Twitter. 

“That’s a way of informing people and getting your point across but that doesn’t engage people in a dialogue like Facebook or other social media,” Winograd said. 

IDF used different social networking sites to convey their message including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram, according to Russia Today

IsraelUnderFire currently has over 2,800 followers on Twitter but gained more momentum on Facebook. The Facebook page gained over 24,000 views in only a week, according to Fox News

 

Read more of Neon Tommy's coverage on the Gaza Strip conflict here.

Reach Staff Reporter Anna Catherine Brigida here



 

Buzz

Craig Gillespie directed this true story about "the most daring rescue mission in the history of the U.S. Coast Guard.”

Watch USC Annenberg Media's live State of the Union recap and analysis here.

 
ntrandomness