Definitions:
The Dead Sea Scrolls: “Ancient, mostly Hebrew, manuscripts first found in 1947 on the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea. Discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls is among the more important finds in the history of modern archaeology.” [1]
The Dead See Scrolls: “Their eyes are sunken, their skin is ashen, and they communicate with grunts rather than words. Only their thumbs move, endlessly, flicking up and down on the glowing rectangles clutched in their hands. Just a small part of their brain still works, and that part is entirely devoted to the images flashing before them, one after another. These are the creatures known as scroll zombies.” [2]
Zombie Scrolling Syndrome: “A term coined by the McAfee security company to describe the effects of cell phone addiction. It’s defined as “mindless scrolling out of habit, with no real destination or benefit.” [3]
The continuing disparities surrounding how the media reports global affairs should be a cause for concern and indeed, widespread anger, resulting in greater accountability and sanction. However, what we are witnessing is quite the opposite; namely, pervasive cognitive biases and agendas being touted as impartial reporting. Husam Zomlot, ambassador for the Palestinian Mission, UK is not alone in confirming the following sentiment:
“In spite of the genocidal rhetoric of the Israeli leadership, the media persisted in projecting an inaccurate equivalence, distorting realities on the ground.” [4]
Francesca Albanese, UN Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, has also been a vocal critic of media and the flagrant double standards:
“Most mainstream media have failed in their most basic duty: They have largely manufactured consent, enabling a genocide in real time.” [5]
Many of us do not have an issue with these statements, but how comfortable are we with allegations of complicity on our part as we continue to be led by the mainstream, paying little more than lip service to the tragedies playing out across our screens?
Attention Spam
Whether it is the physical consumption of low-level quality, cheap meat or inadvertent euphoric validation felt by the number of ‘likes’ and unwanted emails received, we have become desensitised to what now constitutes beneficial and intellectual satiation, observing tragedy porn in the form of the suffering of others without so much as batting an eyelid. Previously censured viewing is now available for all – including young children – to access, raising questions as to how we arrived at this stage societally and whether it is too late to redress such an imbalance:
“…desensitization to violent media stimuli is thought to reduce anxious arousal… As with other emotional responses, repeated exposure to media violence can decrease negative affect, because violent stimuli lose their capacity to elicit strong emotions the more often the stimulus is presented.” [6]
Additionally:
“Research has found that the more time individuals spent watching violent media depictions, the less emotionally responsive they became to violent stimuli and the less sympathy they showed for victims of violence in the real world.” [7]
The above appears to have had significant impact when reflecting on the continuing genocide in Gaza, conflict and humanitarian crisis in Sudan, and forgotten plights of the Rohingya and Uighur populations, to name a few. Distractive tactics of government and media are well established, yet many of us remain content with an ongoing inertia that serves to perpetuate a vacuous strategy of mis- and disinformation.
21st Century weapons, 11th Century Strategies
The apparent sudden shift of Israeli and US attention towards Iran served as a smokescreen and distraction from relentless global attention on Gaza. The following Guardian headline is succinct in its questioning and summarisation of what occurred during this short-lived and latest conflict:
“Twelve days in Gaza: what happened while the world looked away?
One of the consequences of Israel’s 12-day conflict with Iran was a drop-off in attention paid to the war in Gaza, where a terrible humanitarian situation deteriorated even further…” [8]
The annals of history serve as a reminder of early western stratagems when their own societies began to cannibalize themselves because of internecine conflicts. They first identified an external scapegoat, ideally, rich in human and mineral resources to exploit under the guise of them being a threat to civilisation.
The first crusade was launched at Clermont in France on 27th November 1095. Pope Urban II told his audience of churchmen, knights and common people that the Turks, (Ottomans) who were ‘…despicable, degenerate and enslaved by demons…’ had overrun the Holy Land and were massacring Christians. He called for all those to ‘… hasten to exterminate this vile race from our lands…’ and to liberate Jerusalem. At that time Christian Europe was at war with itself. Historically, this period was referred to as the Dark Ages. Pope Urban found a common enemy and a cause. Juxtaposing this historic example with today, the tactic of rallying the masses is commonly the purview of the media.
The ensuing violence of the past is frighteningly connected with the present when considering the geographic location and those who were and continue to be murdered. Those who survived the march broke into the Holy City on 15th July 1099. What followed was no ordinary slaughter. The piles of Muslim dead were ‘almost as high as houses.’ One crusader, Raymond of Toulouse, wrote back to Pope Urban and reported; ‘…our men rode in the blood of the Saracens up to the knees of their horses.’ [9]
So, what has caused this Desensitisation?
This is an important question insofar as to what is being witnessed today on geopolitical levels, between nation states, who once opposed each other. They now provide tacit approvals and/or covert support for the continuity of regional conflicts on their doorsteps based on socioeconomic development and investment. Within this context, western imperialist influence is arguably reaching a stage of decline. Nevertheless, its appetite for global hegemony remains stronger than ever, and this is evident by the nature of the US president’s somewhat crude – but effective – statesmanship:
“The Trump doctrine is ‘smash and grab’, take what you want from others and let your allies do the same,” said Josh Ruebner, a lecturer at Georgetown University’s Program on Justice and Peace.” [10]
Embedded in this principle is an ability to acquiesce and restructure/rebuild political alliances, disarming the most sophisticated statesmen and political opponents. This should not come as a surprise since the policy of winning hearts and minds is well established. In fact, it is integral to an overarching, established colonial and ideological strategy to conquer and dominate by stealth. One of the Muslim world’s leading Saudi Arabian scholars of the 20th century, Shaikh Abdul Aziz bin Baz, was asked about this ideological strategy and responded:
“Ideological warfare is a modern term which refers to a set of efforts in which a nation engages in order to conquer or influence another nation, so that the attacked nation takes a particular course of direction.
It is far more serious than military warfare, since it aims at secrecy, seeking to achieve subtle objectives initially; so that the attacked nation does not perceive it… thereby falling victim to it. The eventual result of this onslaught is that this nation becomes sick in mind and sense; loving what the enemy wants it to love and hating what the enemy wants it to hate…
The nation which is struck in this way does not even feel what has hit it, or even what it is. That is why curing it becomes somewhat difficult…conquering the hearts and minds of a people is far more permanent than conquering lands.” [11]
Conclusion: Hear no evil, see no evil… Ignorant Monkeys or Mute Devils?
Ignorance cannot amount to bliss in a climate where untruths have become mainstream. We have a heightened duty to remain cognizant of what is being peddled at statutory and media levels. Unfortunately, we are almost duty bound to be aware of those who are prepared to or, have succumbed to the type of foreboding normalization once read in novels, like George Orwell’s ‘1984’. It would surely be an achievement to reduce the adverse impact of ever pervasive social media apps that have contributed towards the mind numbness plaguing society today:
“’Doomscrolling’, also known as doomsurfing, is a relatively new term that describes the act of mindlessly trawling through negative news on news apps and social media for hours on end. Essentially, it’s reading one negative story after another.” [12]
The definitions provided at the introduction of this article can be revisited here and perhaps, those deadened by scrolling could receive a source of enlightenment from the story behind the Dead Sea Scrolls themselves:
“The group at Qumran has been identified with many Jewish sects of the time. Even though some scholars believe the community to have been a branch of the Sadducees or Zealots, most believe that they were Essenes. The group is believed to have fled, or been driven out, to the Judaean wilderness as a result of a dispute with the priestly leaders in Jerusalem over the sacred calendar and matters of legal interpretation.
At Qumrān this group not only preserved their beliefs but developed a worldview that rejected the rest of the Jewish people, espoused a highly dualistic view of the world (i.e., a world sharply divided between good and evil, light and darkness), and looked for an imminent divine judgment of the wicked. They also cultivated a communal life of extreme ritual purity, necessitated by their rejection of the Temple cult.” [13]
A more appropriate and stringent reference to awaken anyone from their social media indifference is surely the Quranic verse that states:
“And do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge. Indeed, the hearing, sight and heart will be questioned.” [14]
[1] Davies, P.R: ‘Dead Sea Scrolls’, Britannica, 14th June 2025: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Dead-Sea-Scrolls
[2] Newport Institute: ‘8 Danger Signs of Zombie Scrolling and How to Protect Yourself’, Newport Institute: https://www.newportinstitute.com/resources/mental-health/zombie_scrolling/ [Accessed 5th July 2025]
[3] Ibid
[4] Centre For Media Monitoring: ‘BBC on Gaza-Israel: One Story, Double Standards, 2023-24’, CFMM, p.4 published June 2025.
[5] Ibid, p.5
[6] Krahe, B, Moller, I, et. al: ‘Desensitization to Media Violence: Links to Habitual Media Violence Exposure, Aggressive Cognitions, and Aggressive Behavior,’ J Pers Soc Psychol, 2011 Apr;100(4):630–646. doi: 10.1037/a0021711, 31st July 2015: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4522002/#abstract1 [Accessed 5th July 2025]
[7] Ibid
[8] Burke, J: ‘Twelve days in Gaza: what happened while the world looked away?’ The Guardian, 1st July 2025: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/01/gaza-israel-iran-war-idf?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
[9] Baker, A H: Excerpt from Friday Sermon: ‘They intend to put out the light of Allah’, First delivered on 11th October 2001.
[10] Harb, A: ‘Tearing Down’: What drives Trump’s foreign policy?’ Aljazeera, 29th April 2025: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/4/29/tearing-down-what-drives-trumps-foreign-policy
[11] Baker, A H: Excerpt from Friday Sermon: ‘They intend to put out the light of Allah’, First delivered on 11th October 2001.
[12] Allianz: ‘Doomscrolling and the effects of social media on the mind’, Allianzcare: https://www.allianzcare.com/en/about-us/blog/doomscrolling-and-the-effects-of-social-media-on-the-mind.html [accessed on 5th July 2025]
[13] Davies, P.R: ‘Dead Sea Scrolls’, Britannica, 14th June 2025: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Dead-Sea-Scrolls
[14] The Holy Quran, (English rendition), Chapter Al Isra, verse 36 (17:36)
