According to a study conducted by ai-technology firm dmr, support for Palestine on social media platforms has increased significantly following the recent attacks in the region. The firm collected 1 million posts from Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube between October 7th and 23rd, and found that pro-Palestinian posts were 3.9 times more common than pro-Israeli ones by October 19th. This sharp shift against Israel on social media does not necessarily reflect overall public opinion, as surveys have shown that support for Israel still outweighs support for Palestine in countries like the US and UK. However, social media users tend to skew young, and young people are generally more pro-Palestinian in their views.
One possible reason for the difference in support on social media versus overall public opinion is the age demographic of social media users. Young people tend to be more pro-Palestinian, and social media platforms are dominated by young users. Additionally, the study only included Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube, and did not take into account Facebook, which has a larger older user base and may be more pro-Israel. Surveys conducted in Denmark, France, Spain, and Sweden showed more sympathy for Israel overall, but among young participants, their opinions aligned with the social media ratios.
It is important to note that while support for Palestine may be more visible on social media, it does not necessarily reflect the overall sentiment of the population. Surveys have consistently shown that support for Israel still outweighs support for Palestine, especially among older demographics. However, the study highlights the influence of social media in shaping the narrative and perception of conflicts, particularly among younger generations.
