Gen Z and the intifada: social media’s role in shaping anti-Israel narratives – opinion

The confluence of online misinformation, pro-Palestinian groupthink activism, and protesting methods is igniting hatred against Israel and Jews.

Pro-Palestinian protests have reoccupied college campuses across the US, again capturing headlines. Saturated with calls to “Globalize the Intifada” and “End the occupation,” these demonstrations have become common in major American universities and cities. The movement uses social media to amplify its messages and extend its reach to Gen Z students, and it is having a considerable effect on the campus climate.

Consider that #FreePalestine is used in 35 million videos on TikTok and 11.1 million posts on Instagram, about 28 times more than #StandwithIsrael. Compared to previous generations, adults ages 18-29 are more likely to say their sympathies lie either entirely or mostly with the Palestinian people, and they have a more favorable opinion of them than of Israel.

Younger adults appear to be sympathizing with Palestinians over Israelis. They are more critical of Israel’s reasons for fighting and less critical of Hamas, as compared to older adults.

At the heart of this shift is the younger generation’s reliance on social media for news, with 78% of adults ages 18-29 surveyed indicating that, at least sometimes, they get their news from social media – almost double the rate for traditional media. About six out of 10 teens (63%) and six out of 10 (62%) US adults under 30 use TikTok, while around four out of 10 say they regularly get their news there, double the percentages from 2020. 

Algorithm generated obsession

Although some Internet platforms are notorious for enabling the rampant spread of misinformation, young adults are nearly as likely to trust social media as national media outlets.

AS DANGEROUS as the lack of credible sourcing and misinformation online is, AI-generated bots and algorithms deepen Gen Z’s infatuation with “freeing Palestine.” Designed to echo shallow social justice, some social media algorithms maintain the propaganda cycle, while some chatbots do it inadvertently. The lines between virtual indoctrination and physical action blur as online rhetoric translates more seamlessly into real behavior.

The talking points from the Internet then become parroted as catchy slogans and rhyming chants in real life. Crowds grow, and a protesting mob mimics online communities, exacerbating groupthink activism, with a keffiyeh-masked leader shouting slogans from a megaphone for the echoed response from the crowd.

The hate speech of anti-Israel protests has instigated antisemitic incidents and increased the number of places where Jews feel unsafe since October 7, 2023. In addition to spewing genocidal chants urging for the destruction of Israel and those who inhabit it, protesters employ bullying tactics. Many students who support these protests also support illiberal protest strategies such as encampments, occupying buildings, and blocking students from moving freely on campus. 

College campuses are filled with slogans and displays calling for an “Intifada revolution,” “Right to resist,” and “From the river to the sea” – all calls for violence against Israel and Israelis, veiled as cries of Palestinian support.

Pro-Palestinian groups have even doxxed the University of Florida’s Hillel staff on social media, publishing photos and information about how to reach them, while comments on the post applaud these protest efforts. They have utilized their social media platforms to organize protests against multiple Zionist guest speakers who have been visiting the university, and even dedicated a post to labeling one “a war criminal.”

The hypocrisy of advocating against violence, yet perpetuating it, is persistent in campus movements. The percentage of students who said that they support pro-Palestinian protesters engaging in violent actions was similar to the percentage of those who said they were opposed to using violence to stop a campus speech.

The anti-Zionist selective vision is pervasive among Gen Zers. Although hate incidents and crimes have spiked against Jews and Muslims, younger Americans are more likely to point to intensified Islamophobia than the escalated antisemitism that older adults are likely to see.

HATRED IS and avoidable behavior are learned, but so are empathy and understanding. While violence may have permeated the media we engage with, or the chants we hear on our commute to class, it can be countered by reaffirming the values of respect and democratic discourse.

We cannot afford to take at face value what we see on social media, painted on a sign, or shouted from a campus quad. Instead, we must better inform ourselves by looking beyond captions and infographics.

The writer is a sophomore journalism student at the University of Florida and a campus fellow for the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis (CAMERA).