Replace The Palestinian Flag, The Semangka Emoji Becomes A Trend On Social Media

Palestinian supporters replace watermelon emoji on various platforms (photo: dock. pexels)

JAKARTA The moderation of content in the midst of the Israeli and Hamas conflicts is considered detrimental to Palestine. The reason is, some supporting content to Palestine seems to have been eliminated intentionally.

If hidden content contains a cataterrorist, this would not be a problem. However, a number of users reported that their content was removed just because it used the Palestinian flag.

One platform that is considered deliberately blocking pro-Palestinian content is Instagram. According to the Business Insider report, Instagram users complained that their comments using the Palestinian flag were immediately hidden.

When questioned, the Meta Spokesperson said that there was no specific policy regarding this flag emoji. However, the content containing offensive words will definitely be considered a violation.

Although their support seems blocked, Palestinian supporters have a new way of voicing their support. Almost all users of large platforms such as Instagram, X, and TikTok replace the Palestinian flag emoji with watermelons.

This watermelon emoji is a representation of Palestine and Gaza. The spring is also a very suitable replacement for the Palestinian flag because of its similar color components, namely red, green, and black.

In addition to using watermelon emoji as a form of resistance to platform moderation that is unfair, Techcrunch reports that a number of content creators are starting to use this emoji to garner social assistance in Gaza.

One example is the TikTok filter developed by Jourdan Louise Johnson.Filter for Good I, which features this watermelon image, is made with the Effect Creator RewardsTikTok program.

Through this program, Johnson's filter can earn money if many users use it. The results of filter usage will be donated to charities that provide assistance in Gaza.

The trend of using this watermelon emoji continues to grow across the platform. Although Palestinian flag users are still found in several uploads, watermelon emoji remains an alternative to pro-Palestinian content.