Social Media’s Day of Reckoning Has Arrived as Russia Invades Ukraine
And Putin is powerless to censor the story
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, etc., are all playing a pivotal role in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Many of us have never had such a front-row seat to war. Every major news outlet has people on the ground reporting the situation.
This time is so different because we don’t just see what the reporters are showing. We see firsthand what is happening on the streets, in the homes, and the minds of those most severely affected by Russia’s actions.
How social media is defining this war
Social media is putting us in the scene. We can hear the fighters, see the smoke, hear the cries for help.
Social media is taking us into the battle and working to change the narrative put forth by the Russian government.
We can complain all we want about the uselessness or usefulness of social media, but right now, it is playing a vital role in how this act of aggression is playing out across the world.
Look at these headlines: (follow links to read further)
Russia limiting access to Facebook over fact-checking row
Russia-Ukraine crisis | Facebook bans Russia state media from running ads, monetizing
How protesters in Russia and Ukraine are avoiding internet censorship — and jail
The threat to their safety is real and palpable, but people have gotten creative in their ways of communication to avoid being arrested or censored.
The Los Angeles Times reports: “an Instagram user posted an image with no clear discernible meaning — rows of man-walking emojis, a sketched profile of a woman’s head, and the number seven — to indicate the time and place of a protest.”
Social media is giving voice to the people.
Russia is trying to control a false narrative while the world sees firsthand the atrocities play out. But Putin’s citizens are speaking out and showing the world they are not supporting his aggression towards Ukraine.
Twitter is hot with tweets from across the globe and, in this instance, Russia, where protesters are gathering in St. Petersburg.
Ukrainian leader Zelensky uses his Telegram social media channel(social media and message app) to get his message out to the people and then share it across platforms that news outlets across the world then pick up.
I believe Putin underestimated the difficulty in harnessing the power of social media and is now struggling to deliver his accounting of why invading Ukraine was necessary. The days of censorship are fading as technology gets more sophisticated and harder to control.
Social media has become entrenched in our daily lives but never before have we witnessed the impact it is having across the world. Like any tool, it has the capacity for good and evil, but social media is doing the right thing today.
