I took inspiration from the the section in the article describing the different types of social media content IDF soldiers were putting out. The central image shows a soldier mixing sounds on a DJ deck, on the right of this is a soldier riding a stolen bike in the rubble, on the left there is a dinosaur launching bombs into the tank on his left. The figures are surrounded by likes and comments, in keeping with the interface of these apps. - Natasha Phang-Lee
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Image source:
https://shado-mag.com/opinion/rise-of-the-war-crime-influencers/
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EXCERPT
Rise of the war crime influencers
How IDF soldiers are implicating themselves for clout and likes in the age of conflict TikTok
Tommy Hodgson and Natasha Phang Lee - April 22, 2024 - 10 min read
The broadcasting of abhorrent violence against Palestinians is not new, but the scale and audacity of it, allegedly independent of top IDF leadership, shows we have entered a whole new era of war crimes documentation.
However, we are yet to see if this will change how future conflicts play out. It is untested territory – due to the universality of social media, there is scope for armies to begin putting tighter restrictions on soldiers posting footage from their operations. All this readily available information could plausibly be used as evidence in future war crime trials.
Militaries, as arms of the establishment, have huge PR machines. As soldiers implicating themselves on video for clout becomes more commonplace, top command are likely to try to crack down on this as much as possible.
Ironically, the content is useful in exposing the cruelty of an otherwise PR-managed war to the international community. Though it is bleak to see, it is important to know about this sick trend – not to give the perpetrators fuel but to learn how a genocide happens. It is not something only gleaned in retrospect, after the fact. It is in front of us, and being co-signed and broadcast by the killers.
It is easy to feel overwhelmed to the point of apathy when we are bombarded with so many images that it numbs us. But this cannot become normalised. Anyone who uses social media trends to taunt the Palestinians as they are being slaughtered can be deemed a war crime influencer, as they are building their own brand on crimes against humanity and the misery of others.
History will damn their actions, but not before we see copycat videos and shorts become increasingly common in war zones, not only as propaganda and morale boosts for invading armies but also as unsettling vanity projects.
These online personalities are horrific, but they bring the reality of this war and the extent of Israel’s warped tendencies to life. Truly, they reveal the attitude of domination and racism needed to colonise a people’s land, in a more direct way than conventional platforms. The Israeli state can try to cover its crimes in ‘respectability’ all it wants, but it is hard to unbottle this genie of hatred in the unchecked land of social media.
As Yugopnik puts it, “If evil wants to unmask itself, let it. So the whole world can see.”
Source:
https://shado-mag.com/opinion/rise-of-the-war-crime-influencers/