The world is going through a stressful time right now, but don't worry, dudes across social media are monitoring the situation as closely as possible.

Recently, Twitter / X has been overtaken by memes about the ups and downs of monitoring situations, and it's got some people concerned that there's a little too much monitoring going on.

So what's up with all the "Monitoring the Situation" memes, and where did they all come from? Here's what you need to know.

What Is The 'Monitoring The Situation' Meme?

The idea of "monitoring the situation" has been used in memes throughout the 2010s, making it hard to pin down exactly when the first known meme to use the phrase was uploaded online.

At its core, monitoring a situation means paying very close attention to it to make sure you're up-to-date on it, particularly in the case that something important related to the situation happens or develops.

Memes about monitoring situations especially took off in June 2025 after Israel launched Operation Rising Lion on Iran, performing a series of military strikes against the country.

On June 13th, 2025, a day after the operation began, Twitter users started going viral for posting jokes about "monitoring the situation" without specifying which situation they're monitoring, leaving it open to interpretation.

While many of these memes are intentionally broad, it's likely that the memes arose from fears over the missile strikes or nukes and general fears over the start of World War III.

How Is 'Monitoring The Situation' Used In Memes?

Most memes about monitoring the situation use the catchphrase "monitoring the situation," or other versions of the expression, to joke about the importance of monitoring situations and about how much some guys love to monitor a situation.

Typically, monitoring the situation is seen as a masculine urge, with one Twitter user suggesting it's because men could get drafted if World War III starts.

Many memes about monitoring the situation take preexisting formats and apply jokes about monitoring situations to those formats. Others make more direct reference to the war and conflicts overseas, attaching the phrase to flight maps and other imagery related to the war and news coverage of the war.

The idea of monitoring the situation is also being painted as a somewhat more serious-sounding excuse to stay glued to your phone or the news and doomscroll.

What Are Some More 'Monitoring The Situation' Memes?

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For the full history of Monitoring The Situation, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.