THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON STUDENTS' AWARENESS OF NATIONAL DEFENSE AND SECURITY IN THE CONTEXT OF DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION.

Social media is becoming a crucial information environment for students, thereby influencing how they receive, interpret, and share issues related to national defense and security. This study aims to systematize the bidirectional impact mechanism of social media, identify factors that increase perceptual risk, and propose appropriate educational directions for higher education institutions. This paper employs a method involving a targeted literature review, content analysis, and theoretical synthesis based on studies regarding misinformation, information echo chambers, and media and information literacy, as well as relevant policy documents. The results indicate that social media expands access to authoritative sources and enhances visual engagement, interactivity, and active learning; however, condensed content, personalized algorithms, fake news, and AI-generated content can diminish multidimensionality and the capacity for verification. Based on this, the paper proposes an intervention model comprising five groups of solutions: innovating teaching content and methods; developing verification capabilities; building a mainstream media ecosystem; fostering multi-stakeholder collaboration; and enhancing students’ digital responsibility.