On March 5, 2012, Invisible Children, a California-based nonprofit organization, released the most viral video in Internet history.
The video, titled “KONY 2012,” had more than 80 million hits within five days of its release and has only continued to create a nationwide craze. With a tagline stating its mission to “make Joseph Kony famous,” the movement proposes the idea that we can utilize media outlets, such as viral videos, for the greater good.
This video, which features co-founder Jason Russell, was created to promote the awareness of the Lord’s Resistance Army, a rebel group that has operated out of central Africa for several decades, but more importantly, its leader and war criminal, Joseph Kony.
Using personal footage and interviews from Russell’s multiple visits to Uganda, it highlights the atrocities committed by the LRA, such as kidnapping children, arming them, forcing them to fight and even forcing them to kill their own parents.
Their goal is to capture Kony by the end of this year, and the producers invite viewers to join the movement by purchasing a $30 KONY 2012 “action kit.” The kit includes posters, stickers and bracelets which feature the KONY 2012 campaign logo, the hallmarked red and blue Kony face.
Ideally, participants spread awareness by covering the streets using their kits on April 20, 2012, in efforts to make Kony’s publicity and chances of being captured even greater. Since the video went viral, the KONY 2012 campaign has gained a vast amount of notoriety for its unique approach to activism. It has also, however, gained a vast amount of scrutiny and skepticism.
Invisible Children, the charity behind KONY 2012, has been highly criticized on its financial integrity and has been slammed with accusations implying their over-simplification of the human rights issue, along with a “white man’s burden” undertone. Critics have gone so far as labeling the charity’s supporters as “slacktivists,” taking minimal measures to show support of social causes, and having little or no practical effect on the underlying issue.
The video, undoubtedly well intentioned, has raised awareness across the nation. It is no secret that there is a big difference between volunteering in a war zone and volunteering locally or posting online to promote awareness about a war zone. However, that should not undermine the fact that this campaign has created a stepping-stone in the world of media activism and created a craze of international consciousness in rapid numbers. With media outlets seeping into our schools, homes and everyday lives, what better way to educate people than to pinpoint our favorite entertainment gadgets?
The important question that still lingers on many of these critics’ minds, however, is whether or not this newfound enlightenment actually can make a difference.
Ben Keesey, CEO of the Invisible Children charity, responded to criticisms of the video, explaining that the group’s main focus was to share the story of Joseph Kony and spread awareness through creative and compelling films. “Once people care, once they see the movie and they start to care, we ask them to get involved,” Keesey said.
All around the world and even here on our campus, the “Kony craze” continues to grow as more support groups are formed every day to stop Kony and the LRA.
Even if these efforts may seem “slacking,” or small to some, in the big scheme of things, isn’t doing something better than doing nothing?
The vicious media hype that has surrounded the video, whether portraying it in a positive or negative light, has only acted as a catalyst in surfacing the intrigue of millions and doing its job in creating overnight fame for Joseph Kony.
As viewer numbers continue to rise, critics who say this movement will have little or no effect on the issue at hand have already been proven wrong.
There have been copious amounts of time and energy exhibited into picking apart the organization’s efforts and steering people away from supporting it. Imagine the alternative impact that could be made if that energy was better spent on improving or aiding the movement.
Although Joseph Kony may be running free, this groundbreaking film has gone above and beyond in its purpose of raising awareness among the masses and creating a new foundation of activism for generations to come that will be impossible to forget. And by the end of this year, we will know whether the efforts put forth have been successful in bringing justice and capturing Joseph Kony.
Regardless of whether this mission is promptly successful, knowledge is power. With the tens of millions of people who have already become educated on the crisis at hand, the possibility of positive change only continues to grow as we move forward in our efforts to work together spreading awareness, keeping the world informed and utilizing the developing resources around us to do so.
Samantha Romo is a sophomore majoring in journalism. Her column runs bi-weekly.
