But then there's a story like this. And that's when I realize that very often, we don't need convincing, but reminding. 

 

Israel began bombing Gaza Nov. 14. Gaza's Palestinian residents immediately began documenting the chaos in real time on Twitter. And Israel Defense Forces also took to social media to launch a campaign "to defend its action and goad its enemies," according to the New York Times article.

 

Photos of "eliminated" Palestinian terrorists, bomb shelters, and a father mourning the death of his 11-month-old son. Israel Defense Forces asking people to "RT if they think Isreal has the right to defend itself." The military wing of Hamas directly responding to IDF tweets.

 

Social media has changed the way wars are fought and documented.

 

If this latest Gaza situation isn't a stark reminder of social media's power, I don't know what is.

 

It's a reminder that when there is a collective interest in something so visceral, something so emotional — then you don't need to do much more than start tweeting or Facebooking. You won't need advertising, you won't need to "promote" anything. People will be watching, and they will be responding.

 

I hope there comes a day when we won't see so much of this violence played out on social media. But in a way, I'm thankful that ordinary people now have the power to document it via social media.