The power of social media when constructing a strong message to raise awareness is undeniable. There have been so many success stories with activism that have made a difference such as Metoo and (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. All of which had a clear message and resulted in awareness and change. However, not all social media campaigns have had a happily ever after. In 2012 film director Jason Russell brought the world together through a cause he was passionate about. He created a 30-minute video that informed audiences about the horrific behavior of Joseph Kony, leader of the Ugandan group the Lord’s Resistance Army that is said to have abducted 60,000 children. Social media is the easiest way to raise awareness for any cause because of its ability to engage users from all back grounds including people of great influence such as politicians and celebrities. It was also the best way to spread the video across different platforms in order reach each different type of social media user. Because it started and became popular on social media first, the message was able to quickly spread to traditional media outlets such as television and print. The content of the message resonated with its supporters because it brought to light basic human rights being stripped away from the child victims affected by Kony. The video was the best way to give face to the message which is what set fire to the campaign encouraging action world wide of donating, purchasing of campaign promotional products and sharing shared opinions about the matter on social media platforms.
This campaign did a lot of things right in order to raise awareness such as creating an emotional high quality video clearly explaining the problem, having a call to action with the action of donating and further spreading the message using social media and promotional products. So with all of the emotions running high and momentum of the message why did this campaign fail and not result in social change?
Also, the morality and validity of the cause was challenged which had a negative affect on the perception of the campaign. This was due to the lack of transparency with the followers of the cause. There was no clear objective of what they wanted to accomplish. Yes, millions of dollars were raised, but campaign leaders failed to inform donors of how the funds would be used to make a difference. There are some great lessons to be learned for future social media movements in order to mobilize audiences into action. In this case, the movement could have asked for volunteers or provided a petition to sign in order to potentially get the leaders in Uganda to take extra measures to stop Joseph Kony.
Another way to make any social media campaign successful is to have a clear and emotionally moving narrative that will connect and inspire followers. For the Kony 2012 narrative, what made the campaign so successful is the video created that sparked interest. The video includes interviews with children who use personal narrative techniques to increase awareness about the terrible things that Kony was forcing them to do. The narrative also included points of view from the film’s director Jason Russell. The narrative could have been shifted to focus on audiences by using social media to allow others to contribute by share their stories about the campaign. This could include how they have contributed and how they personally are spreading the message to their friends and family. So much good can be done using social media for civic engagement. What campaigns have had an impact on you? That you felt passionate enough to participate in?
Rachel Wilson 