When Russia declared war on Ukraine, thousands of videos and pictures were posted on social media platforms of Russian attacks in Ukraine; many of them were fake. The internet does not care whether something is true or false, it is all about what can get the most clicks, likes, and shares.

A video was posted on Facebook with the caption “Just crazy footage of a Ukrainian Air Force MiG-29 shooting down an enemy Su-35 fighter jet. Glory to Ukraine,”. The video was viewed millions of times after being reposted on YouTube and Twitter. A couple of days later, fact-checkers from multiple news corporations such as CNN and USA Today identified the video from the video game “Digital Combat Simulator World”. The spokesperson for the company also confirmed that the footage was from the game. This leads to the question of how many people take the time to fact-check videos, articles, and pictures. Zignal Labs found that 86% of social media users do not check news spotted on social media. This number is alarming especially during a time of war. 

The problem of misinformation is not just on social media, but the majority of people only read article headlines. The Washington Post found that 70% of Americans only read article headlines while Chartbeat conducted a survey in which they found that 55% of readers read articles for 15 seconds or less. Article headlines are meant to draw readers in and exaggerate the news to get clicks. Relying on article headlines alone is another way misinformation is spread. 

Social media is influencing how people view Russia’s attacks on Ukraine, and the Kremlin has begun to use this to their advantage. The Kremlin has started paying Russian TikTokers and other social media creators to spread pro-Kremlin propaganda. In response, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube have begun to slow down their services in Russia. The goal is to make them more frustrating to use to stop the propaganda coming out of the country. They have even banned Russian content on their platforms. TikTok has not stopped its services in Russia, and has become an easy way to spread misinformation. NewsGuard found that after searching generic terms related to the conflict, like “Ukraine” or “Donbas”, the search results displayed multiple videos containing disinformation in its top 20 results. TikTok has banned its live streaming services in Russia, but that does not stop the spread of misinformation on its platform. Russian propaganda continues to be posted on the platform. 

The White House has acknowledged the misinformation being spread on different social media platforms regarding the ongoing war and has briefed 30 TikTok, YouTube, and Twitter creators on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Jen Psaki, White House Press Secretary, briefed the creators with an overview of the latest in Ukraine and took questions from the attendees. “As the Russian government has begun paying TikTok creators to produce pro-Kremlin propaganda, briefings like these are a critical tool to ensure that creators can have their questions answered and can provide accurate information to their followers,” a White House official said. 

Disinformation and misinformation run rampant all over social media platforms, especially during this time of war. The Kremlin has silenced any independent news outlets in the country while the foreign media has also been blocked in Russia. Access to social media has also been cut off to most Russians. Russia is isolating itself while spreading propaganda all over the internet. It is important to fact-check the videos, pictures, and articles that appear on these platforms. Check where the posts are coming from, and check to see if any credible organizations or news sources have fact-checked it. Keep in mind that propaganda can be anywhere and everywhere.