The first and second World Wars took place in the early 20th century, long before the age of technology and social media. With talks of a third World War becoming more prevalent early in 2020, social media would play a huge role.

With social media, information spreads quickly so false information about the war can get out and have negative consequences. If “fake news” about the war gets out, it’s difficult to confirm or disprove the information. This rapid spread of information can also quicken the pace of the war. When an important event happens overseas, the public will be notified almost instantly. 

In addition, social media makes it much easier for the people — the citizens of the countries involved in the conflict — to speak for themselves rather than have the government speak for them. If the citizens themselves do not support the war, they can tweet and post their grievances online making them known to the world.

As of 2019, it is estimated that about 45% of the world’s total population is using social media and the percentage is expected to grow. It is often a place for many people to get their news. In an era that is faced with turmoil time and time again, social media offers millions of people a platform to voice their opinions be as creative as they would like. Each and every day, we see examples of humor represented in the media that diminishes the seriousness of social issues. “Memes” are used throughout social media and contribute a laughing factor to a potentially momentous situation.

Many students at Eleanor Roosevelt use social media “every day,” such as senior Venus Tchabong. Although memes are humorous, she explains that memes regarding the World War III controversy ”were all funny” because “…in a way, it still showed that something serious is going on and that America had messed up in a drastic way.” She took from the social media coverage that “Trump did something very stupid that can cost millions of people’s lives. Also he affected a huge nation with his careless actions.” Though these issues are brought to the surface, “sometimes people can spread false information,” causing unnecessary confusion and misinformation

Social media has its pros and cons. The rapid diffusion of information allows people to quickly find information that would otherwise take a while for them to discover. With the current usage of memes, people are making light of the situation and the level of seriousness toward social issues is dwindling down. This can cause confusion due to false information in an attempt to make a joke. Social media plays an important role in our society. Despite the chaos it may cause for its users, we benefit from it greatly, as it keeps us updated, informed, and knowledgeable.