Witnessing carnage: Self-documented terrorism and the moral challenges of decentralized digital platforms

On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a coordinated attack on Israel, documenting atrocities through wearable cameras and disseminating footage on platforms like Telegram. This article investigates how these self-documented acts exemplify the erosion of traditional distinctions between perpetrators and mediators of representations of violence. Using point-of-view (POV) aesthetics and leveraging decentralized digital platforms, Hamas transformed violence into a mediated spectacle, dehumanizing victims and gamifying terrorism. The study critically unpacks these strategies, highlighting their role in bypassing journalistic filters to spread fear and achieve ideological objectives. The article further examines the ethical and societal challenges posed by this new ecology of media, where platforms act as sites of violence, and witnessing becomes intertwined with participation. By analyzing the events of October 7, this work contributes to understanding the complexities of mediated violence, exploring how end-users recontextualize and circulate graphic content, shaping new forms of media witnessing and engagement with political violence.