Digital activism and public opinion: understanding the role of social media during the Gaza Conflict

Purpose This study aims to investigate how brand sentiment evolved on social media during the Gaza conflict, focusing on multinational companies in the Arab world. It aims to thoroughly examine social media posts, comments and hashtags related to boycotts, providing insights into shifts in consumer sentiments and engagement levels. Design/methodology/approach The research method used sentiment analysis to analyze consumer perceptions and interactions through various social media platforms. The data is collected from public social media posts, aggregated and analyzed using Google Cloud Natural Language API. The study tracks changes in social media activity before and in the days following the controversy, correlating these trends with reported shifts in sales and public perception of the involved brands. Findings The study found that social media had a considerable impact on public sentiment toward boycotted companies during the Gaza–Israel War. The findings demonstrate that sentiment analysis can effectively capture shifts in brand perceptions through social media post sentiment, engagement sentiment and comment sentiment. Originality/value This research is among the first to examine real-time shifts in brand sentiment during the Gaza conflict, particularly in the Arab world. By focusing exclusively on social media data, this research highlights the growing influence of digital platforms in shaping public opinion and consumer behavior, particularly in response to geopolitical events. The findings contribute to the understanding of how digital activism can directly impact corporate performance, reputation and brand sentiment in a globally connected marketplace, providing a foundation for future research on long-term impacts.