THE GAMIFICATION OF POLITICAL PARTICIPATION IN THE FREE PALESTINE MOVEMENT

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to familiarize the readership with the phenomenon of gamification, defined as the use of game design elements in non-game contexts, its characteristics and impact on citizens’ trust and political participation. The re-emergence of the Free Palestine Movement on October 7, 2023, which coincides with the resumption of the armed conflict between Israel and the Hamas-led Palestinian militant groups in the Gaza Strip, throws into relief the increasing relevance of political mobilization through digital mediums. This paper seeks to re-energize scrutiny into the role of digital technologies in enhancing citizens’ political participation and the production of alternative knowledge. On TikTok, gamification is an emerging phenomenon with an upward trend that incentivizes the user to engage in political activities under a veneer of gamefulness. Amid the loss of trust in political institutions worldwide, the migration of political activism towards the digital space instils a sense of renewed optimism. In the present study, I attempt to synthesize the existing knowledge centered around gamified political participation, extract findings through game analytics and social media mining, and use other academics’ theories as springboards to answer the question: “What is gamification, and how did it manifest in the Free Palestine Movement?”