Instagram activism: Analysing the Palestinian narrative post-7 October 2023 attacks

In the wake of the 7 October Uprising, there has been a considerable online discourse surrounding the Palestine–Israel conflict. Drawing on qualitative content analysis, this research focuses on how the story of Palestine is conveyed on Instagram. Instagram has emerged as one of the biggest social media channels where advocacy and social activism occur in the current digital era. This study will focus on 75 Instagram posts (photos, reels and carousels) related to the Palestinian issue, from October 2023 to June 2024. The objectives of this research are to understand how digital storytelling on Instagram has projected the Palestinian issue and to examine the content, tone, visuals, themes and underlying messages of Instagram activism regarding the Palestinian story. The findings of this study revealed that the use of precise visual and textual elements that distinguish the recurrence of themes such as suffering, solidarity, violation of human rights and resistance, act as stand-ins for strategic framing within digital activism to raise awareness and garner support for collective action. The study reveals how Instagram users have helped boost Palestinian perspectives. The major themes that emerged are those of suffering and solidarity with a tinge of emotion and humanitarian elements of the Palestinian struggle. This research, thus, underlines the potential capacity of Instagram to reshape conflict narratives to emerge from historical marginalization, contributing to a change in global discourse.