As with so many people on Facebook at the time of the Kony 2012 video became viral, I too watched, liked, and even shared the video. The reason I did it was not because everyone else was doing it, but because it felt right. The editors made the video so heart wrenching that it felt like I was at fault for what was happening and if I didn't share the video I was accepting blame. After I shared I felt like a better person.
Soon enough everyone knew about the video. People were outraged and one of my more activist floor mates decided he wanted to go to Africa and kill Kony himself (it took some time to talk him out of it). But the buzz died down as soon as it started and people began criticizing the organization and nothing really happened. That doesn't mean that the video failed however. The video served it's purpose. So often in this country do we forget about other parts of the world. I usually even forget about the east coast. It was the video's intent to remind us that there is stuff happening in other parts of the world that we are ignoring. The video could have been more successful if the events that followed hadn't occurred (most notably the maker of the video slapping the ground naked...) and if the big demonstration day had been closer to the day it went viral. It is hard to plan though when a video will become famous. I'm still interested to see if the huge demonstration does still happen on the 20th. Even if it doesn't, the video probably encouraged at least 1 person to actually care enough to become more invested in the issue and maybe even plan a trip to Africa. That is more effective than nothing.
I agree that the video was not ultimately a failure. It was rather a series of unfortunate events (including the maker slapping the ground naked among other things) that led the entire Kony 2012 campaign into darkness. I also agree that sharing the video gives good feelings; it makes people believe they have done something to improve the situation in the world, whether or not they have actually done anything of true value.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the video may have helped the cause somewhat, but it is important to note that even supporting the cause, but not doing anything about it, must be considered heavily before being granted the label of "activist."
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