If you’ve scrolled through Instagram Stories this week, you’ve probably come across a single image over and over again: a desert camp in front of a dramatic mountain range, endless rows of colorful tents and white paint in the middle spelling out the words “All eyes on Rafah.”
The image is now at least shared 40 million Instagram Stories, including Palestinian models Gigi and Bella Hadid, actors Priyanka Chopra and Nicola Coughlan, and artist Kehlani. It’s certainly not the only image to go viral that attempts to draw attention to the plight of Palestinians during Israel’s seven-month offensive in Gaza following the October 7 Hamas attack, and not even the only one this week (the other, which groups under different headlines, which Israeli officials claim The deadly attack was “wrong,” wide traction seen). But it differs from other posts that circulated on social media during the war, where Israeli forces killed more than 35,000 people (more than half of them). The United Nations says women and children) and displaced About 1.7 million more. Because it appears to be AI-generated.
Judging by its unusual smoothness and improbable symmetry, combined with the fact that it depicts a large open desert with snow-capped mountains in the background and neatly lined up tents chanting English words, it’s clear to everyone involved that this is not one. Actual image of the town of Rafah in southern Gaza. Yet in the wake of another deadly airstrike, it’s the image that’s become inescapable online.
The photo appeared on Instagram shortly after the Israeli airstrikes on May 26, which were carried out US made bomb and set fire to a camp of displaced Palestinians At least 45 people Rafah, which was supposed to be the last “safe” zone in the region. The Biden administration said These attacks were not enough to convince the US to stop sending more aid to Israel. Its virality stems from the platform’s “Add Yours” feature, which allows people to include their own image in an existing chain of links. Created the graphic @shahv4012Who appears to be a young Instagram user from Malaysia
“All eyes on Rafah” became a rallying cry for pro-Palestinian activists in February when World Health Organization director Rick Peppercorn. Said the phrase While locals described the tension there as they prepared for a possible Israeli attack. There are humanitarian groups such as Save the Children International, Oxfam and Jewish Voice for Peace. Since it is repurposedAnd many Instagram graphics with this phrase have gone viral.
Hussein Keswani, a podcaster who studies digital anthropology, said the recent image snowballed so quickly because most of the images coming out of Gaza are of dead bodies or crying children and families, which many people feel uncomfortable sharing on their personal Instagram stories.
In the wake of yet another deadly airstrike, this is the image that has become inescapable online
“It’s a memetic moment where people assume that’s the right position to take and want to oppose it,” he explains. “It’s an act of bearing witness, saying, ‘This is horrible, I see dead kids on my phone all the time, and I want this to stop.'” Instead of sharing what could be sad or traumatic footage, people gravitate to to an image that is appealing in an aesthetic rather than journalistic way.
Kesvani also points to a decline in trust in both social platforms and the mainstream media, which many feel has stifled pro-Palestinian voices and failed to accurately report the reality of the war. In response, social media users have used Instagram Stories — more private than public grid posts, less likely to be censored by algorithms that prioritize certain posts over others on the main Instagram timeline, and only available for 24-hour viewing — to voice their opinions during periods of conflict they’ve had elsewhere. Know and share information that might otherwise not be found.
It’s a bit ironic that the viral image was so clearly AI-generated – but that’s probably one of the reasons for its success. Instagram has been an important tool for journalists and activists covering the devastation in Gaza, according to its parent company Meta Accused of censorship Both Instagram and Facebook contain pro-Palestinian content, Even among his employeesAlthough it has repeatedly denied it. A computer-generated image would have an easier time bypassing Instagram’s moderation policies, which remove posts it deems violent and graphic.
Activism on social media has been criticized for as long as social media has existed, most famously when white people began posting black squares on their Instagram feeds in the wake of the killing of George Floyd in 2020, ostensibly to drive awareness of police brutality against black people. Squares exploded, however, for flooding the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag on Instagram at a time when black people were using it to organize, and for their activist nature, called for, literally, nothing.
Many are online compared AI asked Rafah image black square, or human Action items included or real picture Instead of actual destruction. “There is no need for AI images when there is real on-the-ground footage of the horrors of Palestine (especially when Zionists try to push the narrative that the footage we see of Palestinians is fake),” A person wrote The war between Israel and Hamas has deepened tensions online between those who speak out for Palestine, those who are pro-Israel and those who remain silent, leading to “Blockouts” and “Digital GuillotinesWhich users largely block their ideological opponents.
“Ultimately, we know that support for Israel is a structural position, and one that probably won’t change with an Instagram post,” Kesvani said. “But it kind of chips away at the narrative that Israel has long tried to promote, which is that they are the only democratic nation in the region that is opposed to Western ideals. I think there is some merit in your apolitical friends who didn’t talk about this until they shared this photo.”
Since the October 7 attacks by Hamas, pro-Israeli ads funded by its government have been everywhere on the Internet. This week, pro-Israel AI-generated images also circulated through Instagram Stories’ “Add Yours” feature that prompts direct reactions. Rafah photo virality with at least 400,000 Instagram story shares read that “Where were your eyes on October 7th?” And other With over 100,000 shares of a march chanting the phrase “Bring them home now” 100 hostages Gaza is still occupied by Hamas.
One assumes, or at least hopes, that most people sharing such clearly AI-generated images know that what they’re posting isn’t a real photo, but they’ve gone viral for one big reason: they simply look different from the ones we see every day. See millions of other photos. The A shaky Pope FrancisBalenciaga Harry Potter, and Shrimp JesusKeshwani explains, are so compelling because they can “express all kinds of people’s fears and fantasies and imaginations in a way that interpretation and fact-checking won’t be able to.”
Whatever your feelings about AI art, there’s a question to ask when turning beyond aesthetics: If an AI-generated image proves more effective at changing hearts and minds in a humanitarian crisis than an actual image of reality — or at least getting more people talking about it. Encourages speaking out, even in a small way — what does that say about the future of online activism? More importantly, how do we reduce the likelihood that AI-generated false or misleading images will replace the reporting and organizing needed to effect real change? At the very least, this probably won’t be the last AI protest image on your timeline.
