Not a game
Memes with #WWIII, #WorldWar3 have taken off in midst of Iran/U.S. tension.
World War Three is officially trending on social media.
That’s right. Less than a week into 2020, the hashtags #WWIII or #WorldWar3 have become one of the most meme-able and talked about trends on social media. As of 10:30 a.m., Jan. 6, 2020, there were hundreds of thousands of tweets using the hashtag #WWIII or #WorldWarThree on Twitter. More than 500,000 posts on Instagram, and almost a billion views on TikTok.
Before your timeline becomes a gif-fest of reactionary memes to WWIII, let’s not forget the details of its origin. On Friday, a U.S. airstrike near Baghdad’s airport killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani, a top Iranian general who had been the architect of its interventions across the Middle East.
The morning Iran’s top general was slain, U.S. President Donald Trump took to Twitter — abusing cap locks and exclamation marks in his usual fashion — to share a victorious message: “Iran never won a war, but never lost a negotiation!” he tweets first. Then follows it up with: “Soleimani was both hated and feared within the country. They are not nearly as saddened as the leaders will let the outside world believe. He should have been taken out many years ago!” Iran vowed ‘harsh retaliation’ to the U.S.
Since then, Iran announced that it will abandon its nuclear limits on Sunday, and Trump tweeted on Monday in response: “IRAN WILL NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON!”
As tensions soar between the two countries and around the world, people can’t stay off social media to share their unease.
Perhaps it’s the best coping mechanism we have. Using dark, twisted humour in meme-form to express our feelings of hopelessness. And this time, because of its global impact, it has brought together all nook-and-cranny subcultures of social media to share their hot takes. No one can look away. Everyone can comment.
One of the biggest reactions comes from the younger generation, who share their feelings of a new decade already ruined by Trump three days into 2020. Yes, on top of looming climate change and no jobs, millennials and Gen Zers were quick to jump on social media to share their crushed dreams and despair:
Despite being hailed as “the last sunny corner of the internet” in a New Yorker article, #WWIII has taken on new life on TikTok, a video sharing app that’s popular with Gen Zers.
Take this video, which in less than a day has amassed more than 500,000 likes. It shows a TikToker flexing his basketball skills with text on screen that says “Just got drafted. First game in Iran.” The caption reads “1st overall pick,” followed by #ww3 #wwiii #worldwar3. It’s just one of many videos shared in the hashtag.
Then there’s the dichotomy of U.S.-Canada relations which will always find itself trending on the internet when something so outlandishly “Canadian” or “American” happens. Just think back to when Trump got elected. Many Americans took to social media to share their “moving to Canada” tweets. Some actually did. And four years later, ahead of a 2020 U.S. election, it’s happening again, with Americans taking to social media to express their escaping to Canada memes “to avoid being drafted into WWIII.”
In the past, government and world affairs seem to have been shrouded in secrecy. But now, thanks to social media and politicians that have taken to it, anyone can join the commentary.
It’s not all bad. The reactions and memes make the hard news more digestible and relatable. It makes people read more to see what provoked the reaction in the first place. But it also takes a darker turn in the age of fake news which spreads like wildfire on the internet.
Take this tweet for example. In the midst of this #WWIII chaos on social media, the video game “Conflict of Nations” ran a sponsored ad on Twitter that read “Iran starting World War 3? Simulate any #WWIII scenario you can think of in Conflict of Nations now!” For those just joining the conversation without reading up on what actually happened, it may very well seem that it is as simple as Iran starting a war, especially when tweeted from a brand.
And so when these events happen, using social media as your main source of news can be dangerous. Those who gain their understanding through social media are prone to being misinformed. Then, without reading more on the topic, often join the online conversation spreading their own misinformation.
Before jumping straight to Twitter and getting lost down a rabbit hole of reactions, take a step back find a way to inform yourself.
The last thing the world needs is misinformed people adding to the fake news.