Following an Israeli strike on Gaza in May 2024, an AI-generated graphic depicting an aerial view of thousands of displaced Palestinians’ tents with the text “All Eyes on Rafah” went viral on Instagram. Celebrities such as Dua Lipa, Lewis Hamilton, Priyanka Chopra, and Gigi and Bella Hadid reposted the image, amplifying its reach to their hundreds of millions of followers. This image rapidly gained traction, being reposted around 50 million times. Many PHS students joined in on sharing the post, generating discussion about the crisis within the Princeton community. Afterward, similar AI-generated graphics advocating for an end to violence in Congo and Sudan quickly went viral on Instagram.

The justification for creating and sharing AI-generated images rather than photos or articles is often rooted in a valid concern. Oftentimes, real images of war are removed from Instagram for violating the platform’s policies prohibiting graphic and sensitive content. AI images seem to be the ideal workaround for promoting an important message on Instagram. The “All Eyes on Rafah” image aims to depict the scope and severity of the issue without outright posting graphic content. It appears to encourage involvement and discourse with the issue given the simplicity of the image and ease in sharing the message to a large audience of followers.

While sharing such a post may seem like a low-effort way to effectively raise awareness, in reality, it discourages genuine engagement with pressing current issues. These images lack any information about the conflict or resources to take action. People feel content with engaging through the click of a few buttons, neglecting to take the next step of researching the issue through reading the work of credible journalists and finding ways to make a tangible impact.

The performative nature of sharing an AI-generated image in the name of activism is reminiscent of reposting a black square on #blackouttuesday in response to the death of George Floyd and other social media activism campaigns. In a phenomenon known as “virtue signaling,” millions of users publicly expressed empty support for a cause to demonstrate moral correctness for social acceptance.

If this was not bad enough, the fact that the image is AI-generated worsens this kind of shallow activism. AI-created images are often weaponized in disinformation and propaganda campaigns due to their ease of manipulation and generation. The “All Eyes on Rafah” image depicts orderly, neat rows of camps, clear skies, and cotton candy clouds. In reality, Rafah’s air is thick and gray. The ground is littered with debris, remnants of buildings that once housed communities. As many Palestinian activists have pointed out, the graphic is a “sanitized” version of the true conditions in Rafah after the strike. Sharing a distorted image of the situation in Rafah contradicts the aims of many activists. Instead of raising awareness about a calamitous current event, the post paints a misleading picture of the suffering faced by Palestinians on the ground.

As high school students with relatively little power in society, merely reposting an image may seem like an appropriate form of activism. However, instead of sharing grossly oversimplified machine-generated content, we should aim to consume and share intellectual commentary and reporting by journalists dedicating their time to publishing thorough, ethical, and factual investigations of current events. As students, consuming high-quality media makes a difference in how we interact and engage with pressing current events. Instead of checking a performative box by reposting words someone else wrote, prioritize being informed and willing to act beyond a few clicks on your phone.

Apart from reading and educating yourself, there are many accessible ways to make a tangible impact on the causes you care about, whether it be the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or other global conflicts, such as those in Syria, Sudan, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Yemen, and the war in Ukraine, to name a few. You could volunteer your funds or time to grassroots organizations or attend events and demonstrations. Especially in Princeton, a town where activism is found in all corners of everyday life, high school students have boundless opportunities to get involved with the issues they care about, from campus protests to contributing to student-led organizations.