Eyal Yakoby, a rising voice among Generation Z, is proving that young people can play a critical role in shaping the political and cultural discourse of our time. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and an incoming student at MIT, Yakoby has gained prominence as an online influencer with over 90,000 followers on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram. But his influence extends beyond social media.

As a proud Jewish American, Yakoby found himself at the center of the anti-Semitic protests that erupted on college campuses across the United States. Instead of retreating, he took a public stand, speaking at a House congressional leadership press conference in 2023 and later testifying before the House Judiciary Committee in 2024. His testimony detailed harassment Jewish students faced, bringing attention to a wave of antisemitism in higher education.

Growing up in Princeton, New Jersey, Yakoby was raised in a religious and Zionist household. He views Zionism as an integral part of his Jewish identity. "I grew up very religious, very Zionist, which I view as a part of the Jewish religion," he says. 

Yakoby’s rise as a social media figure came out of necessity. He initially had no public platform, but saw what he says was anti-Israel rhetoric dominating online spaces and decided to take action. "I was sitting on a plethora of information from not only my college campus at UPenn but other campuses as well," he says. "There wasn’t a good way to disseminate the information because there was just so much. He took action because he determined that “the media isn’t going to write about it."

In early 2024, he downloaded X and began posting. "I started posting random information, and it slowly started getting picked up. It became an addiction—lightly," he says. His account quickly gained traction. Now posting up to 100 times a day, he prioritizes original content, sourcing information from WhatsApp groups, Telegram channels, open-source intelligence, and direct reports from individuals on the ground.

While around 40% of his content pertains to the conflict in Israel, he also covers American and European politics, focusing on what he calls revisionist history and ideological movements, which he characterizes as intended to dismantle the foundational principles of Western society. "Israel is the flashpoint," he says. "You can tell a lot about what someone thinks about America and Europe based on what they think about the conflict overseas."

One of Yakoby’s key arguments is that social media, education, and mainstream media have been manipulated to distort perceptions of global conflicts. He is particularly concerned with the role foreign governments play in influencing American discourse. "There’s so much outside influence trying to convince Americans of what they should believe," he says. "Americans should be able to listen to it, but they should know where it’s coming from."

Yakoby believes that social media must do more to combat foreign propaganda. One of his proposals is requiring verified accounts to display their country of origin. "When you have that much Iranian and Qatari influence, people need to know where the messaging is coming from."

For Yakoby, the fight is not just about Israel—it’s about defending freedom, democracy, and truth against ideological forces that seek to dismantle them. He sees the current crisis as part of a broader battle against misinformation and extremism. "Some ideologies have to be destroyed," he says. "Like in the case of the Nazis, sometimes bad ideology can’t be bought off with money—it has to be defeated."