Quite apart from what is actually happening in the Gaza – Israel War what stands out for me is the glaring misinformation describing the war that is to be found on social media. This is only the latest example of what I see this as a growing international problem. Local newspapers are dying like elderly old friends, and national and international papers and corporate television increasingly is shaped to corporate profit interests. At the same time, people around the world get the information that shapes their views of the world from social media. What this tells me is that we live in a world in which the laws governing news were all created in a time before large corporations or a few billionaires controlled news, and before the internet and social media even existed. As a result what most people think about an event is shaped not by facts, but by nonsense and the weaponization of lies, and what corporations decide to let their outlets say.
Soldiers and civilians try to extinguish a car on fire after a missile attack in the city of Ashkelon, Israel, on Tuesday. Credit: Lorenzo Tugnoli / The Washington Post
A WhatsApp voice memo purporting to have insider information ricocheted across hundreds of group chats in Israel early on Monday. The Israeli army was planning for another “battle like we’ve never experienced before,” the anonymous woman said in Hebrew, warning that people should prepare to lose access to food, water and internet service for a week.
Across the country, Israelis raced to the banks and to the grocery stores, anticipating another attack. But the message, the army clarified hours later on X, turned out to be a falsehood.
One week into the war between Israel and Gaza, social media is inducing a fog of war surpassing previous clashes in the region — one that’s shaping how panicked citizens and a global public view the conflict.
Social media has long played a critical role in battles in the area. During the 11-day war between […]
As the article states: “Months of protests over the country’s future, deep domestic polarization and broad distrust of authorities have caused these theories to spread, said Achiya Schatz, director of FakeReporter, an Israeli watchdog organization dedicated to fighting disinformation and hate speech online.
One viral TikTok video featured a woman who identified herself as a former soldier on the Gaza Strip. She claimed that the border was so tightly controlled that even “a cockroach” would have been detected in advance — a description many commenters took to mean that Israel would have had to have aided Hamas in penetrating it.”
The authorities have brought this upon themselves. They have increased polarization for short term advantage, and have not been honest with the citizens about governmental actions. Citizen distrust should not be a surprise, it should be expected.
As the article states: “Months of protests over the country’s future, deep domestic polarization and broad distrust of authorities have caused these theories to spread, said Achiya Schatz, director of FakeReporter, an Israeli watchdog organization dedicated to fighting disinformation and hate speech online.
One viral TikTok video featured a woman who identified herself as a former soldier on the Gaza Strip. She claimed that the border was so tightly controlled that even “a cockroach” would have been detected in advance — a description many commenters took to mean that Israel would have had to have aided Hamas in penetrating it.”
The authorities have brought this upon themselves. They have increased polarization for short term advantage, and have not been honest with the citizens about governmental actions. Citizen distrust should not be a surprise, it should be expected.