Wars, conflicts, and disagreements have been ongoing from the beginning of time. Traumatic experiences resulting from war trauma have impacted a countless number of individuals, whether resulting in temporary symptoms or potentially long-term PTSD. What has changed over time, however, is the presence, influence, and impact of social media through many decades. Social media is a huge influencer of war trauma, and the exploration of the many ways it is impactful will be covered in this article.
Images. Pictures and images on social media are heavily circulated. Regardless of which war the picture was taken from, the heartbreaking truth and reality is that images derived from war zones and disasters resemble each other greatly. There are definitely symbolic images taken from wars in particular which may resemble that specific event, such as the image of the 2-year-old Syrian child’s body which was found ashore after his family tried to flee their country as refugees. The circulation of these images is profound, and once an image is broadcast to social media, it will remain there forever, and even if deleted at some point later on, traces can still be found (through screenshots, comments, etc.).
Selective coverage. The news is very particular with what it chooses to broadcast. There are numerous wars and conflicts which receive little to no attention, such as the Myanmar conflict, the Sudanese conflict, and the Palestinian-Israeli war, just to name a few. Social media can exacerbate this war trauma due to inhabitants of these countries or individuals of these ethnicities feeling that their experiences are unaccounted for, go unnoticed, or are invalidated. The inevitable biases of the news and journalism industry are very impactful in exacerbating war trauma, due to the lack of coverage of particular wars/conflicts/uprisings.
Multiple voices. The wide range of voices, as well as accessibility to practically anyone and everyone’s opinion, can be very trigger-some for many. With TikToks, Instagram, Snapchat Stories, Facebook Lives, and every other social media outlet in between, people are open and free to give their opinions about anything and everything happening in society. Public voices are not in line with those of everyone in society, inevitably so, and hearing/circulating opinions about one’s stance on wars and current events can be very triggering for someone who feels a particular way about a war, thereby triggering war trauma. Individuals commenting on wars/conflicts often may not have enough information or could be biased in the information they have.
For more information or insight on how social media influences war trauma, please feel free to check out additional blogs on our website. Our team of therapists have wonderful insight and experience working with a variety of populations and in many different realms, and take pride in writing about various, relevant topics to society. If you feel that you have been impacted by war trauma, particularly as a result of social media or otherwise, do reach out to us at Niyyah Counseling to find out more about a therapist who may be the best fit for you; the bridge to wellness is just moments away.