Narrative Weaponization: Social Media as a Battlefield in the Iran-Israel Conflict
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.34135/sjps.260101Keywords:
Diplomacy, International Relations, Iran-Israel conflict, Narrative weaponization, New media, Soft PowerAbstract
This study investigated how Iran and Israel construct and disseminate competing digital narratives on X within the context of the ongoing geopolitical rivalry. Using computational discourse analysis combining automated sentiment analysis, descriptive engagement analysis, and qualitative interpretation of official X posts, the research analyzed tweets posted between 2021 and 2024 from six official state-affiliated accounts: Iran’s Supreme Leader (@khamenei_ir), the Government of Iran (@Iran_GOV), and Fars News Agency (@EnglishFars), alongside Israel’s Prime Minister (@netanyahu), the Government of Israel (@Israel), and the Israel Defense Forces (@IDF). A purposive sample of tweets related specifically to the Iran-Israel rivalry, regional military developments, and political messaging was collected and analyzed using Hume AI’s expression measurement tool to identify emotional valence and narrative framing.
The study suggests that both nations utilize emotional messages to shape international opinion, enhance domestic support, and present competing claims to legitimacy. The data on engagement indicate a high degree of asymmetry: Israeli accounts have a demonstrably wider global readership, and Iranian accounts are fully ideologically sealed in their supporters’ circles, which has direct implications for the soft power and diplomatic legitimacy. The study has counterintuitive implications. It showed that a parallel asymmetry exists in the digital domain, which is determined by the architecture of the communication model employed.
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