As it continues into its second month, the Iran war has moved from the Middle East to social media platforms, where memes, pop‑culture clips and video game visuals are influencing how the conflict is perceived.
From SpongeBob SquarePants jokes to video‑game mashups, U.S. government accounts and pro‑Iranian voices are trading viral posts that mock opponents, rally supporters and shape public opinion.
Psychologists say the trend, sometimes called “memetic warfare,” can make military action feel controlled, playful or even heroic while softening its real‑world consequences.
"These memes normalize a hypermasculine, militarized response and encourage people to automatically accept policies that would look very different in a sober news briefing," media psychologist and Director of the Media Psychology Center Pamela Rutledge told USA TODAY.
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