‘Modern Anne Frank’ of Gaza: Palestinian teen becomes a social media sensation

By Saleh S. Matar

“I miss the sea, I miss my friends, I miss ice cream, I miss happiness and joy. I MISS MY ORDINARY LIFE.”

Describing herself as a “modern Anne Frank,” Farah Baker, an ordinary Palestinian teenager, has taken on the task of live-tweeting her experiences in Gaza and capturing the turmoil and fear in her neighborhood. Her powerful and vivid tweets, which went viral in August, have raised the Gaza teen to prominence on Twitter.

Baker lives with parents and two younger sisters in the heart of Gaza near Shifa hospital, a critical location that has put her home in the middle of a war zone three times so far. Going by the name “Guess what,” or @Farah_Gazan, the 16-year-old furiously tweets between attacks and posts video footage as well as sound clips of falling missiles, bombs, blaring ambulance sirens and war atrocities around her.

Her desperate, provocative and brave tweets, regardless of her motives to post them, have captured the hearts and attention of thousands of people around the world.

“I am trying to tell the world about what I feel and what is happening where I live,” Baker told Reuters at her Gaza home, adding that she is simply “trying to make other people feel as if they are experiencing it, too.”

The number of her followers on Twitter increased from 800 to more than 200,000. Her followers also started a question and answer conversation with Baker using the trending hashtag #AskFarah.

“I did not expect it. I was writing for a small circle of people, and the number has become too many,” she told Reuters.

3:04am it should be too dark but as u can see flares turned darkness into light #Gaza https://t.co/SF3buL7eC1

— Guess what (@Farah_Gazan) July 29, 2014

Whenever my 6 yrs old sis hear the rocket falling she covers her ears and shout while crying in order not to hear the bomb #Gaza #AJAGAZA

— Guess what (@Farah_Gazan) July 28, 2014

:/ #SaveGaza pic.twitter.com/WMGgjQbrhV

— Guess what (@Farah_Gazan) July 21, 2014

Heavy smoke seen from my home bc of bombing a factory #Gaza https://t.co/N0izGM0Oc6

— Guess what (@Farah_Gazan) August 10, 2014

I’m 16yrs old and I could never travel easily, and I could never visit other parts of my land -Palestine- #GazaUnderAttack

— Guess what (@Farah_Gazan) August 7, 2014

Baker does not just rely on Twitter to get her message across. She also has a Vine account where she records video and audio of rocket flares, loud bombings, fire and dark smoke to her audience as well. Her tweets appear to be legitimate and it is believed that she has been reporting about the conflict for the past 6 weeks now.

People today are extremely fortunate to have the “largest expression capabilities in human history,” according to social media theorist Clay Shirkey, where they can share what they see, hear and feel on the ground anywhere in the world via social media. Twitter and other social media platforms have made it possible for individuals such as Baker, Ronny Edry, the creator of The Peace Factory – an online movement for peace in the Middle East – and many others to voice and share their experiences from regions where information is hard to gather due to conflicts or political or economic reasons.

Characterized by their inexpensiveness, availability and speed, the sheer efficiency of social media has changed the way we share and receive information in a way that undoubtedly plays a pivotal role in today’s world.

Aspiring to become a lawyer, Baker says she hopes to one day advocate and help the people in Gaza.

“I see this is the only way I can help Gaza, showing what is happening here,” she said. “Sometimes I tweet while am crying or too scared, but I tell myself I should not stop.”