For the past couple of days of tuning into the Russian Invasion of Ukraine, I realized that this is the highest tensions the world has ever faced since the Cold War. Seeming to come out of the most depressing phase of a global pandemic, we are finding ourselves at the edge of our seats with war.
After months of military build up on the east Ukrainian border with Russia, late February saw Russia waltz in and invade the nation. Like, a full scale invasion with shelling, tanks, infantry, and air assaults. With big brother Russia on one side making action and the brotherhood of NATO on the other pulling the plug on everyday resources for Russia, we have quickly entered discussing one big word I in my lifetime would never have thought Iʻd ever hear on news outlets, NUCLEAR.
Wait, wait, wait a minute
But taking a couple of steps back onto the lower tier of things, the place where everyday people belong. I and many other people across social media realize, this is not the 1940s. Or the 1970s where proxy conflicts or battles were heard of passed down and diluted through media outlets.
….Letʻs talk about social media
It is the year 2022, where social media sadly dominates our daily lives on what we do, think, and showcase our lives. But for the first time in human history, social media has become the resource to see what is truly going on with everyday people behind the borders of the Ukraine.
@viceworldnews Checkpoints manned by civilian volunteers armed with AK-47s are springing up all over Ukraine’s capital Kyiv. #Russia ♬ original sound – VICE World News
I am on the Tiktok platform as an additional means to share my travel content and for, I guess you could say, stay up with the times. But as much as I try not to get lost on the platform in a given day, popping onto TikTok recently, has allowed me to see accounts of everyday people show what the invasion looks like from the Ukraine point of view. Itʻs like tuning into the news, only the news is like interacting with everyday civilians and or soldiers.
For some context:
A Ukrainian driving about and stopping to talk to Russian tank drivers out of gas.
@alibabashits hope this gets shared it’s fascinating. so many of these soldiers are kids who have no idea wtf they’re doing #ukraine #russia #war #ww3 #saveukraine ♬ original sound – ali baba
An elderly woman confronting a Russian soldier. A Russian soldier texting his mom about training exercises and not realizing that he is actually invading Ukraine.
@laminaprod 🇷🇺 Russian Major captured by Ukrainian troops 🇺🇦. #russia #ukraine #nato #peace #war #foryoupage #foryou #fyp #fy ♬ Slava Ukraine – WAZZAGG
In (at the time of writing) 7 days of conflict, we have learned so much about what is really going on on a level we can relate to, the everyday person, and itʻs the most incredible blessing to be a part of. Not that I love war, but to be able to connect with humanity in strife in an unjust war means the world to me, or US for that matter. That all of us MILLIONS of people can love, support, and be there for these people through a network of TikTok videos or comments.
And thatʻs not to say that the delivery and “reshares” of useful information spreads like wildfire. Not long after the Ukraine president open way for the International Legion of Territorial Defense, thousands of non-Ukrainian individuals signed up to fight alongside those fighting for their country. And all of this has been shown to millions on the TikTok platform. Something like this would have taken weeks 80 years ago.
I am not the biggest fan at how bad of an impact our phones and social media has on our well being. But in contrast, social media is playing an amazing role at helping to shed light on realities of this conflict and to help bring together strangers behind their phones.
People keep talking about WW3 and itʻs possibilities. However, I think with our world having front row seats to reality through our computers and phones, we have a better chance as standing up now, more than ever before. But most importantly, we can truly see how much we have in common as human beings in a seemingly complex world.
Social media has for years kept us distant from reality. But this crisis has shown that social media can do just the opposite…
…unite humanity!
If you have any thoughts or comments on this, please drop a comment below and if you enjoy travel, be sure to check out my world travel blogs.
