Visual Propaganda in the Age of Social Media: An Empirical Analysis of Twitter Images During the 2012 Israeli–Hamas Conflict

Abstract

AbstractThis study analyzed images posted to Twitter by the Israel Defense Forces and Hamas' Alqassam Brigades during the November 2012 Gaza conflict to understand aspects of visual propaganda in the age of social media and online social networking. Content analysis was conducted to identify themes and frames prominently appearing in a total of 243 Twitter images posted by the two sides during a two-month period. Resistance and unity were the most prominent themes in the images posted by Israel and causalities of civilians and resistance were most prominent in Hamas-posted images. The majority of the Israeli images featured the analytical propaganda frame whereas the emotional propaganda frame was dominant in Hamas images. Additional informationNotes on contributorsHyunjin SeoColor versions of one or more of the figures in the article can be found online at www.tandfonline.com/hvcq.Hyunjin Seo is an assistant professor of strategic communications in the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Kansas. Her research focuses on the role of digital/social media in collective action, social change, and international strategic communications. Email: [e-mail]