Phenomenon of social media during the russian-ukrainian war

Abstract

The objective of this study is to analyze the impact of social media on public opinion during the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. The article employs the following scientific methods to achieve its goal: logical-historical, structural-functional, and comparative analysis methods. The article analyzes the following terms: media (used to describe mass media tools used for information transmission or communication with a significant audience); traditional media (including print press, radio, television, various sound and video recordings, and computer technologies aimed at a mass audience, with relatively broad accessibility and corporate production and distribution of information); and social media (online platforms and internet resources allowing users to create, share, and consume content from other users). The functions of media are catigorized into traditional (informational, analytical, cognitive-enlightening, moral-educational, influential, and hedonistic) and modern (live broadcasts, stories, marketplaces, shared pages, and groups). It is concluded that modern social media are gaining comprehensive influence over audiences, which is a significant aspect in times of war. Our analysis highlights how social media influences society during wartime, including phenomena such as the “Spiral of Silence” effect, the manifestation of “herd instinct” in social media, the influence of opinion leaders, and the trust in information published on social networks.