Audience Trends on Facebook Regarding the Gaza War: A Sentiment Analysis Study Using Big Data

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the feelings of the Arab audience manifested in the comments on the posts related to the Gaza War on Facebook. It is an analytical descriptive study that collects data using artificial intelligence techniques and big data. The data were analyzed with natural language processing technology and Python to classify the forms of interaction, determine the types of relevant emotions, categorize feelings in the audience's comments as positive or negative, and understand the meanings of comments and responses circulating on those pages. The sample analysis included (287,796) comments and (4,176,520) interaction forms on the Facebook pages of "Al Jazeera-Egypt and BBC News Arabic". Sentiment analysis results revealed a predominance of positive expressions of support and solidarity with Palestine and Gaza across the analyzed Facebook pages. Both the Al Jazeera-Egypt and BBC News Arabic pages recorded a high frequency of "Like" reactions, indicating generally positive audience sentiment. On the Al Jazeera-Egypt page, the use of the "Sad" emoji reflected negative emotional responses aligned with empathetic engagement, whereas the BBC News Arabic page showed a notable presence of the "Haha" emoji, which in this context may reflect sarcasm, disbelief, or detachment, indicating a different form of negative sentiment. Additionally, a substantial disparity was observed in both the volume of coverage related to the Gaza War and the level of audience interaction, with Al Jazeera-Egypt significantly surpassing BBC News Arabic. This study offers important practical implications for media professionals and policymakers and The patterns of sentiment associated with the Gaza War on Facebook reveal the public's sensitivity to the emotional frames and media narratives of the conflict.