Kony 2012 Sociology
The power of social media on pro-activist movements
Uprisings and movements have been at the basis of society since the dawn of humanity. They usually come in the form of revolutions such as seen in France, the United States, and Russia in the 20th century. Manifestations have a base goal of resolving a social issue. However, in history, social movements progressed slowly due to their inefficiency in spreading a belief and reaching entire populations. However with new social platforms that reality has changed. For instance, in 2012, Joseph Kony, leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda, came under the global spotlight when millions of people publicly denounced him by sharing the video “Kony 2012” by Invisible Children, Inc, on Facebook. …show more content…
The movie “Kony 2012” was produced with the purpose of promoting a charity called “Stop Kony”. This film was launched on YouTube on April 2012, reaching 100 million views and was shared millions of times on Facebook, bringing awareness to Joseph Kony’s horrific actions towards civilians in Uganda. The film was centered on the director’s, Jason Salles, crusade to impede the chief of the rebels. Joseph Kony used his power and authority to build an army of 66,000 child soldiers, who were treated horribly and were forced to go on murder rampages in benefit of their leader. (Kony 2012) The movie appealed to everyone’s finer feelings of the heart, encouraging social awareness over monstrosities faced by the children of Uganda. The movement shed a light on this desolate reality faced by many, which resulted on a broad campaign against Kony; causing the crowd to unit towards a common belief to stop Joseph Kony. Even though the film was not enough to stop the local rebel chief, it was nonetheless a step forward for people to become conscious of others’ realities and situations. This collective consciousness would not have been possible without the assistance of all social media platforms. According to “The Guardian Journal”, 66% of all the conversations on Twitter in March 2012 were regarding Kony 2012. Over 6 million tweets about the subject were produced within a month of the video on YouTube being launched; more than 3.6 million people pledged to Invisible Children’s Kony 2012 campaign, proving the power of social
Uprisings and movements have been at the basis of society since the dawn of humanity. They usually come in the form of revolutions such as seen in France, the United States, and Russia in the 20th century. Manifestations have a base goal of resolving a social issue. However, in history, social movements progressed slowly due to their inefficiency in spreading a belief and reaching entire populations. However with new social platforms that reality has changed. For instance, in 2012, Joseph Kony, leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda, came under the global spotlight when millions of people publicly denounced him by sharing the video “Kony 2012” by Invisible Children, Inc, on Facebook. …show more content…
The movie “Kony 2012” was produced with the purpose of promoting a charity called “Stop Kony”. This film was launched on YouTube on April 2012, reaching 100 million views and was shared millions of times on Facebook, bringing awareness to Joseph Kony’s horrific actions towards civilians in Uganda. The film was centered on the director’s, Jason Salles, crusade to impede the chief of the rebels. Joseph Kony used his power and authority to build an army of 66,000 child soldiers, who were treated horribly and were forced to go on murder rampages in benefit of their leader. (Kony 2012) The movie appealed to everyone’s finer feelings of the heart, encouraging social awareness over monstrosities faced by the children of Uganda. The movement shed a light on this desolate reality faced by many, which resulted on a broad campaign against Kony; causing the crowd to unit towards a common belief to stop Joseph Kony. Even though the film was not enough to stop the local rebel chief, it was nonetheless a step forward for people to become conscious of others’ realities and situations. This collective consciousness would not have been possible without the assistance of all social media platforms. According to “The Guardian Journal”, 66% of all the conversations on Twitter in March 2012 were regarding Kony 2012. Over 6 million tweets about the subject were produced within a month of the video on YouTube being launched; more than 3.6 million people pledged to Invisible Children’s Kony 2012 campaign, proving the power of social