Specialized Seminar on “Social Networks and Challenging the Dominant Narrative” Held in Tehran

A specialized seminar titled “Social Networks and Challenging the Dominant Narrative” was held in Tehran as part of the third edition of the Sobh Media Festival, with the participation of international social media activists.

At the seminar, Dimitri Lascaris, journalist and human rights lawyer, Ahmed Saaduddin, social media activist and founder of the micro-media outlet Propaganda & Co, Karim Al-Shami, and Faisal Ibrahim, social media specialists, shared their experiences of working on platforms such as Instagram and X, formerly Twitter, discussing the challenges of expressing opinions that go against mainstream media narratives, particularly regarding Palestine.

Participants highlighted issues such as account restrictions, financial account blockages, like PayPal, and other censorship measures targeting resistance media.

Faisal Ibrahim criticized the lack of research among young people, stating, “Most of our youth do not seek research, and this harms the resistance front.”

Karim Al-Shami added, “Countries like Germany and the U.S. impose the most restrictions on resistance media. Before October 7, we could easily defend the resistance, but after that, it became much harder, and resistance media were left alone and isolated.”

Event coordinator Ms. Sadeghi warned, “Many social activists rely on governments, but this is a huge risk, as their financial accounts – like PayPal – can suddenly be blocked, causing serious problems.”

Al-Shami responded to a question about censorship of field news in Lebanon and Egypt, stating, “Sometimes, a single marginal word can make an entire news piece controversial. We have staff members who review news multiple times due to fear of censorship.”

Ibrahim emphasized, “When I publish accurate news, I have done my duty. I witnessed the Lebanon war and saw how sidelined that event was. Our responsibility is accurate information dissemination.”

Dimitri Lascaris advised media activists, “The first stage in the battle between truth and falsehood is knowledge. Despite Western media giants, I am certain that truth will prevail.”

Referring to the killing of Palestinian children, Ahmed Saaduddin said, “The depression caused by these atrocities is problematic. We must narrate both the history of Zionism and Palestine’s current situation. Today, we are witnessing a shift in attitudes among some Western figures.”

Karim Al-Shami mentioned cyberattacks against resistance media, “Reddit was one of the platforms where resistance images were shared. However, after it was hacked by Israel, 50% of its content shifted to Zionist narratives. Israel’s propaganda is very strong, while we are weak in the media war.”

Faisal Ibrahim pointed out that the Palestinian struggle is a global humanitarian issue, stressing, “If each of us can raise awareness, even for a small number, we have made an impact. October 7 should be the starting point. Before that, I used to say that human rights are insufficient; now I realize that human rights do not exist.”

At the conclusion of the event, Ms. Sadeghi emphasized, “Supporting Gaza is a humanitarian issue, and all people – regardless of nationality or political affiliation – must defend Palestine.”