It is self-evident that every one of us has an account in one of the social media platforms, given their increasing role and impact, whereby their task is no longer confined to communication between friends. They have rather gone beyond it to invade every aspect of our lives to form a parallel world that resembles our material world, but with less censorship and a greater room for self-expression. Apart from this, they do not need a large budget and can transmit information quickly. Therefore, they can reflect the street pulse or individuals’ opinions more freely than the traditional media that is still controlled by the authorities in Third World countries.
Despite all these characteristics that enable the social media to ascend the throne of the media, be part of the Fifth Estate following the traditional media, with the former having the strongest impact on the decision- making process, the social media is seen as a double-edged sword. Indeed, it can contribute to community advancement by raising individuals’ awareness of citizenship education and informing them about their rights and duties, free from intolerance and subordination. It can also be a dubious tool that serves the interests of certain parties.
This highlights the role of active citizenship in steering digital media away from emotional manipulation, a huge gap that can be exploited for personal ends, especially when it comes to a country like Lebanon known for its peculiarity that differentiates it from all other countries as a result of the civil war that affected its social makeup and the recent wave of Syrian displacement.
Perhaps the most prominent example is the racist campaign conducted by some Lebanese parties against Syrian refugees. For instance, a Lebanese TV channel aired a report titled "Cancer Invading Lebanon... Two Reasons for Its Spread" The title may seem normal, but between the lines of the report lie scientifically unfounded analyses. They are simply founded on accusations that hold refugees responsible for high cancer rates.
The rumors are not limited to refugees but go beyond that. Even the coronavirus has its share of the rumors through the promotion of false news on infections in the south and Iqlim Al Kharroub, which prompted the Minister of Health to make statements reassuring the Lebanese that no such cases have been registered in Lebanon.
This misinformation has created a gap between the components of society. Some social media platforms have partially filled this gap by producing information materials that refute false news. We also notice that behind these platforms are mainly groups of young activists who believe in their community causes. Hence the role of these platforms in raising community awareness and the importance of citizenship, which will be manifested in reducing ethnic and religious differences, in addition to promoting the concept of peace between refugees and host communities. Therefore, this type of media is considered a boom at the level of the city of Tripoli in particular and at the level of Lebanon in general. Although active digital media at the moment is limited to being just Facebook pages, it has overcome many obstacles such as the incitement of sectarian strife or even the distortion of the image of some components in society and breaking stereotypes, all of which are traps some satellite channels are still caught in. Yet, digital media focuses most of its attention and expertise on consolidating the concept of citizenship and building social peace through intensive courses offered by these platforms to their journalists.
For instance, the Shadda platform, which is one out of several Facebook platforms, projects a very positive image of Tripoli. Between January and December 2019, Shadda recruited volunteers who received intensive training in peace, citizenship, journalistic ethics, as well as the techniques and skills of digital journalism.
In addition to training, Shadda produced many videos highlighting the problems faced in Tripoli and Lebanon in general in programs that address problems and suggest solutions. This platform has also launched advocacy campaigns on the cause of women, the fight against human trafficking, and defending refugees from the xenophobic campaigns by some parties serving their own narrow interests. Based on simple experiments in the field and practice of social media, it is clear to us that the weight of a media outlet is not measured by the large size of its technical equipment or budget. The world has countless channels, but do these channels have an equal impact? Of course not, because impact is not only about offering a dazzling image or trying to beautify things by using a modern camera, since the job of the media is not limited to transmitting images without addressing problems, a task that the new platforms are trying to undertake.