Soon after hearing the news that Israel had bombed the Beirut
Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon, Combiz
Abdolrahimi opened a forum for discussion in the best way he saw
fit ““ on Facebook.
With a group that has drawn more than 2,600 members in less than
three weeks, the third-year political science and economics student
joined thousands of his peers who have begun to use Facebook and
other Web sites as a means of political activity.
“(Facebook) is the main networking site between students
and so it’s easy to arrange things with a particular group of
students,” said David Fischel, a third-year mathematics and
applied science student who created the group “Stop
Iran” and is a member of several other Facebook groups on
topics dealing with political issues.
“Stop Iran,” which Fischel said he started with the
purpose of creating a forum for students who believe Iranian
nuclear development poses a serious threat to the world, and
Abdolrahimi’s group “Stop Israel from Invading
Lebanon!”, are two of hundreds of other politically charged
Facebook groups on topics ranging from President Bush’s
policies to abortion.
Tens of thousands of Facebook advertisements, many of them
bought by students, have been displayed alongside profiles, message
in-boxes and friends lists in the past few weeks, some expressing
support for Israel’s recent actions, but most condemning the
nation.
Abdolrahimi’s group, which is open to students from any
school, is aimed at informing students about suffering being caused
by the situation between Israel and Lebanon and creating a place
where students from across the globe can discuss the situation.
“Not everyone reads the news … (but) people use
Facebook,” Abdolrahimi said. “It’s a really good
mechanism that we established that we hope will get the message out
there.”
These forums for discussion have created a new space for
students to advocate, debate and share opinions that students say
have some benefits that more traditional modes of campaigning
lack.
Though often groups will mostly include students with similar
beliefs on a given topic, a quick read through comment boards on
different groups shows that though students may agree on the
broader issue, they often disagree on specifics.
Students also respond to messages they see in Facebook groups
and ads by creating other groups, bringing a variety of opinions to
Facebook.
Dustin Linden, a fourth-year political science student, created
a group called “The Fact Group” in direct response to
Abdolrahimi’s group.
“It was just for me … very easy,” said Linden,
whose group is aimed at highlighting information that he felt was
not addressed in other Facebook groups on the Middle East.
By creating a Facebook group, Fischel said students can easily
gather with other students who share similar opinions.
“It allows students to choose for themselves if they want
to be part of the group,” he said. “You don’t
have to look for them ““ they look for you.”
And the relative anonymity of Facebook also makes it easier for
some students to express their opinions or ask questions,
Abdolrahimi said. Though any Facebook comment will be connected to
the user’s name and school, users are not forced to engage in
face-to-face discussion.
“(On Facebook) you’re able to post your thoughts
freely without someone being there, looking at you,” he
said.
“If you’re on Bruin Walk or if you’re at a
rally, if you say something that’s … not in line with what
everyone else believes, you’re right there, you’re
face-to-face with the (person),” he said. “It’s
more confrontational, as opposed to Facebook, where you can post a
message (and) you’re not afraid … they’re going to
look at you differently.”
Any type of rally, event or advocacy that takes place on campus
also draws from a relatively small group ““ UCLA students or a
few local residents.
Facebook can generate discussion from students around the
world.
“It’s a global group,” Abdolrahimi said.
“We get a lot of people from schools within Israel and within
Lebanon that post messages about what it’s like under the
daily bombing.”
“We have people from Tennessee and Georgia. We
couldn’t have done that without Facebook,” he
added.
But other students said the lack of direct contact is also where
the drawbacks of Facebook discussions are found.
Linden drew some comparisons between Bruin Walk and Facebook,
contrasting Bruin Walk as a forum that can reach students with a
wider range of interests and Facebook as a place where students can
spend more time on a specific topic.
“Bruin Walk is effective for getting your opinion out, but
not for making an argument,” Linden said. “(On
Facebook) you can read my argument, you can read what I wrote, and
you can spend … time on it.”
And Leeron Morad, president of Bruins for Israel, said for him
Facebook only serves to supplement other types of advocacy ““
it is an easy way to send out messages, promote his group’s
ideas, and advertise for events, but it can never be the only
way.
“If you really want to get your message across you have to
have events, real events for people to come to in person,”
Morad said.
Morad and Randa Wahbe, president of Students for Justice in
Palestine, recently created a Facebook group called “Peace in
the Middle East,” which Morad said is aimed at promoting
collaboration between students in their respective communities.
For the purpose his group serves, online interaction is not
sufficient.
“Nothing can ever come close to advocating with your
friends for an issue. Virtual clubs just don’t do the
trick,” he said.