Social media is a vital source of information for society, and the Ukraine and Russian conflict could be considered the first social media war as people around the world can share real time reports, updates and videos. 

People need to understand the difference between what news is real and what is twisted while coverage of this war is flooding the internet. 

Before the war between Ukraine and Russia, fake news was already an issue. Social media is the main stream of information for society, and the majority of the time this information comes from an uninformed source  rather than a reputable site. It is common to swipe through Instagram or Facebook and read the headlines of articles without ever clicking on the actual post. The headline could be misleading or completely false, but without reading the articles, social media users will believe what they skimmed and continue to spread false information. In addition, large name news anchors can also twist the truth by making information appear the way that will benefit them, or the people paying them, so it is smart to cross-check articles. Simply don’t believe everything you see on social media. 

In relation, what has already been happening in the past is happening right now. Tiktok has gained a huge audience in the past two years. Tiktok allows people to post videos for anyone around the world to see and interact with. Because of this, users can watch real time footage of what is happening in Ukraine. Examples include reporters narrating the reality around them, soldiers filming their machinery and conversations between Ukraine and Russian soldiers. While this may seem like a surreal reality, these 15 second videos are not all true. Tiktok does not weed out false information, and people are quick to assume everything they watch is the truth. Montages of what looks like the war could be clips from a movie and conversations between two enemies from past conflicts. It is important to educate people of the issues the media has on shaping the opinions of society, and how not everything shown about this war is true. 

Social media possesses benefits such as connecting people around the world by spreading information quickly. Professional and personal sources can interact to gather and create news content for their audience. This is beneficial in helping people share their experiences. However, this approach can also lead to people believing information that is false or twisted, so it is important to double check the accuracy of the content before sharing it. 

In conclusion, social media is the main stream for information in society, and people need to be knowledgeable on the difference between true and twisted news while the conflict in Ukraine and Russia escalates.