SOHAIL: Do your research before posting about Israel-Hamas War
Column: Nohman's Nuances
*Content warning: graphic content linked and described
For the past week, I have been observing Rutgers students' reactions to the developing conflict in Israel and Gaza. There have been several impressive efforts to organize and protest the war, usually through the condemnation of the Israeli government or Hamas, but a dangerous, secondhand notion often accompanies this: It is an act of cowardice to not immediately cling to a side before even knowing all of the facts.
As with any war, the propaganda machine is turning. The pressure to choose a side is constant — presenting itself on all social media, permeating into friend groups and even invading classroom discussions. With these stressors, it comes across as reasonable to back Israel or Hamas without any in-depth research as a means to avoid conflict or "fit in."
But, it is important to note that nearly all of the information you view is curated to sway your opinion. No example of this is more prevalent than the muddled discussion surrounding the photograph that purports to depict a deceased Israeli baby posted by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Days after the image spread like wildfire across the internet, counterclaims of the photo being generated by artificial intelligence arose. A post with 21.9 million views presented findings by the software "AI or Not," designating the images as fake, and popular news media outlet Al-Jazeera reposted this info on X.
Even users on 4-Chan posted images of a sick puppy with a veterinarian, claiming that the image was doctored to the charred child to push a pro-Israeli agenda, and counterclaims have risen against this as well.
Unfortunately, it is now impossible to know whether the image was doctored or not, but the confusion has not stopped the image from being used as a tool for sympathy and manipulation. This isolated incident begs the question: Can we really take any "facts" presented to us during wartime at face value?
As technology and information dissemination advances, an individual's standard for proof should advance, too. With the photograph as an example, the doubt was reasonable. There were no other photos to corroborate the claim, and no identification was made regarding the doctor or the person who took the image.
Given that we live in an era where we can generate highly realistic photos with an AI language model, these corroborating pieces of evidence are necessary to prove that the image actually depicted an Israeli baby.
On the other side, the assertion that the photo was definitely AI-generated or doctored from the original image of a puppy lacks proof as well. So, it is unreasonable to conclude that the Israeli government manufactured the image to generate sympathy. The best course of action would, unfortunately, be to dismiss it as evidence of anything entirely.
The propaganda is not limited to the current conflict either. Israel and Palestine supporters have jumped on the opportunity to use the history of the region as a means to support their claims. The data presented is almost always plagued by poor sourcing and exclusion of relevant facts, and it works to promote confirmation bias in the viewer.
This is not to say that everything you have seen on social media is incorrect and that you are wrong for choosing a side and pursuing your version of social justice, but it is important to know what you are reading and where it came from. Polarization and pressure to pick a side are reaching unprecedented levels, leading to intimidation and acts of violence across campus.
I recently had the experience of speaking and patrolling with an officer in the Rutgers University Police Department as part of my Politics of Criminal Justice class. As he was monitoring the College Avenue campus, he informed me that many of the daytime calls in the past week regarded public disturbance, intimidation, vandalism and violence in connection with protests surrounding the Israel-Hamas War.
It is disheartening to know that many of these acts are perpetrated under unfounded claims against an often uninvolved party. Irrespective of the current conflict, it is always vital to do your own research and not take everything you see at face value.
We must do better to research information before we make assertions that bolster distrust on our campus.
Nohman Sohail is a sophomore in the School of Arts and Sciences majoring in economics and political science. His column, "Nohman's Nuances," runs on alternate Tuesdays.
*Columns, cartoons and letters do not necessarily reflect the views of the Targum Publishing Company or its staff.
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