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Social Media Drifts Away from Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Industry: Internet Services; Social Media
Current: Thematic Indicators

Social media posts on “Ukraine” and “Russia” fell dramatically from January 2022 to August 2022

As the Russia-Ukraine conflict started in February 2022, there was a steep increase in the number of social media posts on Ukraine and Russia, from 133 posts and 454 posts in January 2022 to 27,048 posts and 15,608 posts on February 24, respectively, according to GlobalData’s social media analytics database

With the curiosity about the conflict fading, the popularity of the posts on “Ukraine” and “Russia” fell to the pre-conflict levels

Social media posts on “Ukraine” and “Russia” have decreased drastically, reaching the low level noticed in early January 2022—roughly six weeks before Russia began its invasion.

Even though the conflict has been dramatic since day one on February 24, 2022, the world seems to have progressively lost interest in it.

Ukraine celebrated its Independence Day on August 24, 2022, while defending itself from the Russian invasion. Even though it seemed that the focus of the entire world was on Ukraine following the invasion by Russia, such interest started to wane six months later.

After the initial curiosity about the conflict that broke out in February 2022 wore off, the popularity of posts on “Ukraine” and “Russia” fell to practically pre-conflict levels. This is an indication of a condition called “news fatigue,” which is not to say that people do not still care.

Social Media Analytics Displaying News Fatigue

For more than 10 years, social media platforms contributed significantly to crises and wars. Social media and messaging service providers have taken a variety of actions since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, including labeling or blocking state-sponsored or state-affiliated media and implementing additional safety precautions.

With the conflict starting in February 2022, there was a sharp increase in the total number of social media posts on Ukraine and Russia, from 133 posts and 454 posts in January 2022 to 27,048 posts and 15,608 posts on February 24, 2022, respectively, according to GlobalData’s social media analytics database.

However, according to GlobalData, the total number of social media posts on Ukraine and Russia decreased dramatically between January 2022 and August 2022.

The argument goes that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s nuclear threats and the attack on the Zaporizhian power plant in southeast Ukraine during the first week of March 2022 increased concerns about a nuclear conflict. There is less threat now, it seems. However, it is unclear how human nature plays a part in why the world is not as interested in the conflict today as it was two months ago.

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