Oct 7, 2023.

The day Hamas attacked Israel. 

I opened Instagram and was immediately flooded with news over the attack. In the days that followed, every social media platform I went on had posts about the war. As the month went by, more retaliation attacks continued from Israel and more Palestinians died.

As the war became a trending topic on social media, people began to take a stand. People spoke out about what was happening in the war, and how to help spread awareness — one of them being to actively boycott. I’ve seen people protest for what they believe in, but I never realized the importance of boycotting until now. While I mindlessly scrolled through TikTok, I was alarmed when I heard of people beginning to boycott Starbucks. 

People are choosing to boycott Starbucks because of the stance they have taken in the Israel-Palestine war, remaining “neutral.” The Starbucks Workers Union, shortly after Oct. 7, posted on Instagram a “pro-Palestine” post; however, the Starbucks corporation sued the Workers Union and separated themselves from the Union. The Starbucks corporate company stated that they do not “condemn violence or terrorism,” but people have seen this response as support for Israel over Palestine. 

Through the help of social media, the boycott was able to spread all over the nation. Before social media became a big platform for change, it was hard to spread information quickly for a cause. However, people now have a platform to express their desire for change and spread ideas faster. 

Many influencers have taken a stance to not drink Starbucks and use #boycottingStarbucks, in support of Palestine, which has influenced others to stop drinking Starbucks as well. Starbucks was reported last month to have lost 9.4% of its market value and nearly $12 billion due to the Workers Union labor rights and boycotting. People have begun supporting local coffee shops as a way to satisfy their coffee needs. Many of my friends and I have turned to 7 Brew and Summer Moon Coffee to support the boycott. 

The power of the internet has truly spread awareness over the Israel-Palestine war and the boycotts that come with it. 

With the internet’s ability to increase visibility of boycotts, a side effect is that others will join in even if they do not have strong feelings on the topic. Since this boycott is heavily influential and has become a trend on social media, there are people who feel “forced” to follow the general public, which has caused others to join the boycott who may not even have strong feelings on the topic. Friends of mine who don’t have an opinion over the war, have stopped drinking Starbucks so as to not be shamed for it. As much as I think that the internet is toxic, I do think the toxicity has furthered the impact of this boycott. There have been videos circulating social media where people will hold pro-Palestine protests outside of Starbucks and hold signs that say, “Don’t support the genocide” and “How does genocide taste?”

Starbucks is not the only company that has seen detrimental loss, other fast-food chains, such as McDonald’s have as well. Though they have not disclosed the amount of money lost, McDonalds has had to cut jobs due to the boycott. McDonald’s openly mentioned that they sent over 100,000 meals to the Israel Defense Force (IDF) in the war. Customers felt outraged and that McDonald’s is supporting a genocide, even though they have many restaurants in heavily Muslim-populated countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Turkey, Arab Emirates, Jordan and Turkey. Consumer boycotts have been taking place all around the world due to how publicly McDonald’s has supported Israel. 

Boycotting is one of the most effective ways for people to influence change. Brands value their image, reputation and market value. Being able to hold companies accountable and make them face the consequences for their actions allows us to further create change. Boycotting has been a practice that has been around for centuries, and now that we have a more connected world, it is time to use all our resources to make an impact. 

People our age feel our actions or voices don’t matter. Many feel the nation is controlled by those who are older and wealthier, and even though that might be true to a certain extent, we still have the opportunity to enact real change. Our generation has been granted the gift and curse of social media, and, through the online world, we can make a greater impact for what we believe in. I encourage everyone to become educated and take a stance for what they believe in, whether that is reposting posts, protesting or boycotting. 

If we, as a society and generation, can start to create change now, then who knows what the future might hold, for the better.