Digital Infrastructural Resistance: Working Around Severe Telecommunication Disruptions in Gaza

Paper Title

Digital Infrastructural Resistance: Working Around Severe Telecommunication Disruptions in Gaza

Publication Info

• Topic area: Telecommunication disruptions and community resilience under conflict conditions.
• Keywords: Gaza, telecommunication blackouts, digital repression, infrastructure violence, resilience, communication workarounds, digital resistance, humanitarian crisis, connectivity, socio-technical systems.

Background and Problem

• Problem / challenge: Gaza faces extreme telecommunication disruptions due to deliberate blackouts and infrastructure destruction during conflict, leaving residents disconnected from the outside world and each other.
• Significance: Communication is vital for survival, visibility, and resistance under oppressive conditions; its absence exacerbates humanitarian crises and isolates communities.
• Motivation and related work: Prior research has documented digital repression and community resilience globally, but Gaza presents a unique case of total infrastructural control, severe destruction, and evolving resistance strategies. This paper seeks to address gaps in understanding the specific methods and psychological impacts of communication workarounds in Gaza.

Solution

• Proposed approach: The concept of "digital infrastructural resistance," defined as the socio-technical rebuilding of communication systems under extreme infrastructural duress, serving as both practical and political resistance.
• Novelty:
  1. Empirical documentation of Gaza’s telecommunication disruptions and creative workarounds.
  2. Introduction of "digital infrastructural resistance" as a theoretical framework.
  3. Insights into the psychological toll and existential significance of connectivity under blackout conditions.
• Procedure and key techniques:
  • Semi-structured interviews with 18 Gazan residents, including activists and journalists, conducted remotely using encrypted platforms.
  • Thematic analysis of 506 utterances to identify communication strategies, emotional impacts, and socio-technical adaptations.
  • Comparison of findings with existing literature on digital repression and resilience.

Results

• Concrete findings:
  • Participants reported 19 distinct communication workarounds, including analog methods (e.g., handwritten notes), low-bandwidth apps (e.g., WhatsApp, Telegram), community WiFi hotspots, and foreign eSIMs.
  • Connectivity was described as essential for survival, visibility, and maintaining relationships, even under surveillance risks.
• Advantage over baselines:
  • Gaza’s response to telecommunication blackouts demonstrates a richer array of adaptive methods compared to other repressed contexts, showcasing continuous innovation and resilience.
• Experiments / evaluation:
  • Interviews revealed three key traits among communicators: creative improvisation, perseverance, and anticipatory adaptation.
  • Participants navigated evolving infrastructural conditions, from total blackouts to partial connectivity, using diverse tools and strategies.
• Limitations and future work:
  • Sampling bias toward more connected individuals; findings may not represent the broader population in Gaza.
  • Connectivity challenges during interviews led to fragmented data collection.
  • Future research could explore broader population impacts and develop interventions to support resilience under digital repression.

Summary

This study examines how Gazans maintained communication under severe telecommunication disruptions caused by conflict and deliberate blackouts. Through interviews with 18 residents, the paper documents creative workarounds, including analog methods, low-bandwidth apps, and improvised infrastructure. It introduces the concept of "digital infrastructural resistance," highlighting the socio-technical and political significance of rebuilding communication systems under extreme duress. Findings emphasize the psychological toll of disconnection and the existential importance of connectivity. The study contributes to understanding resilience under digital repression and offers insights for supporting communities facing similar challenges.