Content Assessment on Media Walking: the Role of Instagram in Shaping the Public Opinion During the Hamas- Israeli Conflict

Abstract

The Hamas- Israeli conflict since Oct 7, 2023 has attracted the attention of the world leading to the formation of different perspectives due many parts to the media. The widely used social media platform, Instagram is used by people to be updated with recent events. Instagram is a platform that keeps getting updated with new features like algorithms. Therefore, how does Instagram participate in shaping the public opinion during the Hamas- Israeli War? In light of this, the present work aims at investigating the eminence and efficiency of Instagram in shaping the public opinion during the Hamas- Israeli War. In order to reach this aim, content analysis is adopted to analyse the collected qualitative data alongside the descriptive analytical method. This study ultimately concludes that Instagram participates in shaping the public opinion during the Hamas- Israeli war through providing a biased stand towards the Israeli side. That is done through different means, such as limiting the freedom of speech of pro- Palestinians, adopting algorithms that deprive pro- Palestinians from reaching the world and the presence of several aspects when covering events related to the war