With over 2.6 billion users worldwide, social media has drastically altered the traditional media landscape. Social media introduced a whole new participatory component, and an unprecedented ability to disseminate information and connect an immense user base. At the same time, social media features that provide this exceptional ability to reach new audiences bring with them detrimental side effects. As with many discoveries and innovations, social media’s meteoric development preceded society’s ability to fully comprehend, and appropriately manage, the ways in which it impacts on communities.
Both Israel and the Palestinian territories are home to prolific social media use by individuals, organizations, and governments. This article examines the role social media plays in the Israel-Palestinian conflict, and specifically its use by organizations interested in promoting peace.
