The Medium and the Message: Social Media, Virtual Communities, and Narratves in Intractable Conflicts

Narratives have a significant role in times of conflict, as they help members of societies in conflict to cope with the consequences of the conflict, such as stress, fear, loss, and uncertainty. A ‘narrative of conflict’ provides them with justification and explanations for the conflict, its eruption, dynamic, their own society, the rival’s society, and the desired solution (Bar-Tal 2007, 2013). However, due to its functionality, it also fuels the continuation of the conflict, and become a barrier to ending it. Therefore, narratives of conflict are an important target for change, when promoting inter-group reconciliation (Salomon, 2004). Social media is one of the channels for constructing and disseminating those narratives, and it is seen increasingly as an important player during conflicts. Compared to traditional media, these platforms have potential to be more pluralistic, as dominant actors can be challenged by alternative actors with fewer resources and less visibility (Fuchs, 2010). The process of digitalisation over the past years has reduced the threshold for public to access the public sphere and has created possibilities for many other individuals, even if they are not in a position of power – to create, share and access content online (Chadwick, 2017; Stasi, 2020). This study improves understanding of the role of narratives in social media during conflict, fulfilling both social and theoretical relevance (Gerring, 2001). Focusing on one case study, that of Israelis and the Palestinians, enables an in-depth analysis of the role of narratives in social media, from the text and culture to the communicators, and social media users. This also includes alternative narratives which undermine the conflict-supporting narrative and are less likely to be found on traditional channels of media. This research also develops previous studies about narrative of conflict as it appears on the relatively new channels of social media. It also aims to further explore the role of alternative actors and their narratives on these platforms, as well as social media users during conflicts – topics which have been little studied so far in the case of Israel and the Palestinians. It is important to emphasise the dialectical relations between social media and narratives. Social media not only have the potential to affect, but also to reflect. Therefore, by studying narratives on these platforms, this study also provides a snapshot of the dynamic between conflict narratives, and the way their effects are perceived by actors and users. The study adds a new element to the literature on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but its findings can also be relevant to other conflicts. Research on this topic, including the current one, can provide insights of importance for efforts at conflict management and resolution, more broadly.