A study on the impact of social media coverage of the Gaza war with special reference to India

Abstract

From “Operation Cast Lead” of 2008 to “Operation Protective Edge” of 2014, there exists a never ending conflict in the Middle East between Israel and Gaza. The rivalry that began in 2008 between the two parties - the Israelis and Hamas - started grabbing coverage and gradually the attention of the cyber world. When seen in the Indian perspective not much reporting was done by the media except for occasional coverage in the mainstream media and few posts in the social media on updates regarding the war. This research paper aims to analyze the effect of social media content about the Gaza war on the public, with special reference to the Indian public and their responses to the social media content posted by the mainstream media in India. Data for the study was gained through content analysis of the official social media pages (Twitter and Facebook pages) belonging to NDTV, CNN-IBN, Headlines Today and Times Now. Also the data gathering process included a survey which wasdone among fifty Indian respondents to assess their awareness and exposure to the issue. The study showed that there was a huge lack of Indian-originated online content regarding the conflict. Respondents also seem to have varied opinions and viewpoints about the Israel-Gaza conflict. It is significant to note that almost 39% of the respondents were not even able to identify the two sides (Israel and Gaza) involved in the conflict distinctly.