A recent study from Northeastern University has found that content supporting Palestinians on the social media platform TikTok vastly outnumbers pro-Israel content. The research, which analyzed hundreds of thousands of posts, reveals a significant disparity in the volume of content related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. For every pro-Israel post on the platform, researchers identified approximately 17 pro-Palestinian posts, a ratio that has remained largely consistent over the past two years. This disparity in content volume is a key factor in shaping the discourse on the platform, which is a major source of information for young people globally.
The study’s findings extend beyond the sheer number of posts, delving into the nature of the content and how it is consumed. While pro-Palestinian posts are far more numerous, the engagement patterns and amplification by TikTok’s algorithm present a more complex picture. The research suggests that the two types of content follow different trajectories, with pro-Palestinian content exhibiting the characteristics of a sustained social movement, while pro-Israel content aligns more with reactions to specific news events. These findings come at a time of heightened scrutiny over the role of social media platforms in shaping public opinion on sensitive geopolitical issues.
Key Findings of the Study
The Northeastern University study provides a detailed quantitative analysis of the content landscape on TikTok. In a recent follow-up to their initial research, the investigators found that the 17-to-1 ratio of pro-Palestinian to pro-Israel posts has been a consistent trend. This lopsidedness in content creation is also reflected in the overall viewership numbers. Pro-Palestinian posts collectively garnered significantly more views than their pro-Israel counterparts. The research also looked at engagement metrics, finding that pro-Palestinian videos earned more likes and shares per view compared to pro-Israel videos. Specifically, pro-Palestinian content received 12.6 likes and 0.2 shares per hundred views, while pro-Israel content received 8.5 likes and 0.1 shares per hundred views.
Viewership and Virality
Despite the overwhelming number of pro-Palestinian posts, the study found that the median viewership for both categories of content was more comparable. The median number of views for a pro-Palestinian video was 472, while the median for a pro-Israel video was 565. However, the average viewership for pro-Palestinian content was much higher, at around 11,500 views per post compared to 2,400 for pro-Israel content. This suggests that a small number of pro-Palestinian videos go viral, reaching a massive audience and driving up the average. According to one of the researchers, this is characteristic of platforms like TikTok, where a few pieces of content can be seen by millions of people, making it difficult for minority viewpoints to achieve similar reach.
Content Trends Over Time
A significant aspect of the research is its longitudinal analysis of content trends. The study distinguishes between two different patterns of online activity. The pro-Israel content on TikTok is characterized by a pattern typical of a major news event. There is an initial surge in posting activity immediately following a significant event, which then gradually declines over time. This pattern was observed in the aftermath of the October 7th Hamas attack, with a high volume of pro-Israel content appearing on the platform that has since decreased.
In contrast, the pro-Palestinian content follows a pattern consistent with a prolonged social movement. The posting activity for this type of content has grown organically over time, reaching a peak and then experiencing a symmetrical decline. This suggests a more sustained and grassroots level of engagement from creators who are part of a larger, ongoing movement. This distinction in posting patterns is crucial for understanding the dynamics of the online conversation and how different narratives are sustained over time.
The Role of TikTok’s Algorithm
A key question addressed by the study is whether TikTok’s algorithm is amplifying one side of the conflict over the other. The researchers investigated this by comparing the number of posts with the number of views for each category of content. Their findings suggest that, over the entire period of the study, TikTok’s algorithm amplified both pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel content equally. However, this amplification was not consistent over time. There were periods when the platform disproportionately amplified pro-Palestinian content and other times when it did the same for pro-Israel content. This nuanced finding indicates that while there isn’t a long-term bias in the algorithm’s amplification, the short-term variations can still have a significant impact on what users see in their feeds at any given time.
Concerns Over Algorithmic Bias
The study’s findings on algorithmic amplification are particularly relevant given the concerns raised by some lawmakers and critics of TikTok. There have been accusations that the platform’s recommendation algorithm promotes pro-Palestinian content, and these concerns have been a factor in calls to ban the app in the United States. While the Northeastern University research suggests that the amplification is balanced over the long term, the sheer volume of pro-Palestinian content means that users are still far more likely to encounter it. This has led to debates about the responsibility of social media platforms in ensuring a balanced and fair information environment, especially on sensitive and polarizing topics.
Research Methodology
The research was conducted by Laura Edelson, an assistant professor of computer science at Northeastern University and co-director of Cybersecurity for Democracy. The study analyzed a large dataset of TikTok posts from the United States that included hashtags related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The initial analysis covered over 280,000 posts from the first three months of the conflict, and a subsequent analysis was conducted in advance of the second anniversary of the October 7th attack. The researchers categorized the posts as pro-Palestinian, pro-Israel, or neutral/general based on the hashtags used. For instance, the initial dataset included 170,430 pro-Palestinian posts, 8,843 pro-Israeli posts, and 101,706 neutral or general posts.
Broader Implications
The findings of this study have significant implications for our understanding of how social media is shaping public discourse on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. With TikTok being a primary source of news and information for many young people, the overwhelming prevalence of pro-Palestinian content could be a factor in the shifting public opinion on the issue, particularly among younger demographics. The visual and emotive nature of video content on TikTok can be particularly powerful in conveying the human suffering associated with the conflict, which can have a profound impact on viewers.
The study also highlights the challenges of content moderation and platform governance in the context of a highly polarized and emotionally charged conflict. The debate over whether to ban TikTok in the U.S. has been intertwined with concerns about the platform’s content policies and its alleged role in spreading anti-Israel sentiment. However, it is also important to note that the lopsided ratio of pro-Palestinian to pro-Israel content is not unique to TikTok, with similar disparities observed on other platforms like Instagram and Facebook. This suggests that the trend is not solely a product of TikTok’s algorithm or policies, but rather reflects a broader trend in online activism and social media engagement.