Study focuses on impact of Palestinian issue on global youth identity

Naveen Shariff is a public health researcher on a maternal health project in Pakistan, with extensive experience in both primary and secondary quantitative research.Her academic and professional interests span security, migration, post colonialism, regionalism, gender studies, and public health, with a focus on South Asia and the Middle East.Speaking to Gulf Times on the sideline of the third annual Palestine Forum, Shariff said, "I investigated the impact of live coverage of the genocide on social media and its impact on social identity of the global youth. I have been observing throughout the genocide that there is a lot of information that has been shared and it seems that there is a change in the tide. A lot of people are seeing the Palestinian side as well, and bringing pro-Palestinian prospective. So, this research seeks to understand this impact on the collective identity of global youth. It analyses the religious, political and national dimensions of their social identity, and answers important questions about the role of youth in mobilising social media for their benefit in navigating through a genocide. Data was collected from 77 respondents from 16 countries.”On the outcome of this research, Shariff added: "This research revealed that different aspects of youth social identity have been influenced by the genocide, primarily religious identity, followed by political identity. Additionally, it highlighted that different motivations can consolidate and result in a shared devotion to the Palestinian cause. Moreover, they view social media favourably despite expressing sadness, anger, and helplessness. They also feel a strong sense of responsibility to advocate for meaningful change both on the Palestinian and global front.”Naveen Shariff also presented during the second day of the forum a paper answering the question: "How does the ongoing coverage of the genocide in Gaza affect the collective identity of global youth on social media?”