This week, I have been consumed by the Israel-Hamas War, the Voice Referendum and the Rohingya genocides. Three separate conflicts in three separate nations.

Yet while seemingly unrelated, there are glaring lessons to be learnt in these conflicts. Lessons on humanity, manipulation and war; lessons that concern me and the future we are headed towards.

1. The Information War

We live in an age where propaganda and social media forces can topple the truth and civil discourse.

The persecution of the Rohingya people by Myanmar military dates back to the 1970s. But something happened in the 2015 that led to a massive rise in islamophobic content and hate speech toward Rohingyas: the introduction of Facebook. I will summarise this below, but for a deeper understanding I highly recommend Johnny Harris’ documentary on this topic.

With the introduction of the internet, Facebook quickly became the main social media outlet and news source for Myanmar citizens. The problem was at the time, Myanmar was largely unmonitored with only two Facebook employees that could speak Burmese. With minimal regulation, hate speech and discrimination quickly found popularity in the algorithms and were broadcast widely. Paranoid and false rumours toward the Rohingyas from friends or family became indistinguishable from reputable news sources. When the Myanmar Armed Forces joined the site and began spreading propaganda, the stage was already set for a mass genocide.

What happens when truth and opinions become impossible to separate, and are thrown into a medium where sensational content rises to the top? You may just get a war.

2. A Divided Nation

The Voice Referendum and Israel-Hamas conflict are complicated issues with long histories behind them. So it is alarming to see how quick people are to take sides on these issues and announce their disgust at the opposition.

Look up any YouTube video on these conflicts and you will see thousands of comments declaring one side as just and the other evil. Left-wing outlets are flooded by pro-Palestinean commenters, denouncing Israel’s retaliation and oppression of Palestinian citizens. Right-wing outlets attract Hamas denouncers, unequivocally declaring the group a terrorist organisation. Pick your favourite echo chamber and enter.

Ironically, some of the accusations thrown by either side are the exact same. In Australia’s recent Voice Referendum, you can find Yes voters accusing No voters for being racist due to refusing to acknowledge Indigenous peoples’ voices. Simultaneously, No voters declare the Yes voters racist for attempting to divide a parliament. Somewhere along this, understanding has been lost.

It is now impossible to read the news and not be consumed by hateful messages on either side. Differences of opinion are fine. A divided nation is not.

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I do not like to complain about the world. I think there is much beauty in every moment that passes unnoticed and many things humans have done right.

But I would be lying if I said that the information war and divide humanity finds itself in does not concern me. Great wars have started from less volatile times as these and that is a path I fear and condemn.

For now, I pray.