In response to the recent political tension between the United States and Iran, social media had an immediate outburst on different platforms. Many have responded fearfully that a potential war would escalate, however on the contrary, many social media users have reacted through the use of memes.

On platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok, content regarding the “Possibility of World War III” quickly became a trending topic. Many teenagers began creating, watching and reposting. A lot of the topics had to do with the draft, and making fun of modern-day teenagers ‘serving in the war.’

@wesabi_WWIII memes are so funny #lsw #xyzbca #fyp #wwiii♬ original sound – wesabi_

@23timmyy#fyp #xyzcba #turnitup #ww3♬ FollowMe – 23timmyy

Sophomore Maddy Shicker, has participated in these memes by reposting them and sharing them with her friends online.

“I find these memes very funny, especially regarding the draft,” Schicker said. “I think most people participate because it’s a way to cope with the nervousness and thought that there actually could be a war. I’m just trying to laugh about it.”

Along with Schicker, many other teenagers also relieved their anxieties about war by joking about it, which could be why they went viral so quickly. They joked about getting tasks done, like school, and at home chores.

“Like do I do my homework or not?” Schicker said. “Let me know.”

Sophomore Anastasia McCarthy, also enjoyed these memes while they were at their peak. Teenage girls especially focused more on making jokes about “avoiding the draft.” Many girls posted about how they didn’t want to be drafted and pretending like they wanted to be considered “less equal” in order to avoid it.

@cutiecarynwar? whats that? i only know cooking and cleaning ?‍♀️?✨ #ww3♬ ww3 be like – issywaha

“I like World War III memes a lot; I think the memes about the draft are also very funny,” McCarthy said. “I cook and I clean, I cook and I clean.” 

While many people found these jokes funny, other social media users found joking about a topic as serious as war, not as funny.

Sophomore Elaina Isenhart thought these memes were funny at first, but they quickly grew old, and she became indifferent to them.

“When I first started seeing these memes I thought they were really funny, and all my friends would joke around about them,”  Isenhart said. “As they continued, I started to realize people weren’t taking this situation as seriously, and it didn’t seem funny anymore to joke about a serious situation.”

Sophomore Dylan Hinz also found these viral jokes not comedic at all.

“I think that these memes don’t help the current situation at all. These jokes further escalated the situation … On social media, when one person starts spreading a rumor, it can quickly turn into something bigger. This is a big example of that, one person started talking about the possibilities of World War III, and set off the entire internet. These memes didn’t help, it only made people more nervous.” Hinz said.

No matter the side people were on, these memes caught the attention of everyone. It brought in teenagers joking about it, those worried, military veterans, current military members, and many other people. They reacted with statements saying they would gladly serve, or serve again if a war happened to occur.

“When half the internet is worried about political tensions, it was good to connect with people who were worried as well through meme culture,” McCarthy said. “I think it definitely is a coping mechanism for us all to laugh it off together, and it doesn’t mean we don’t take it seriously, we are just choosing how we deal with it.”