Kony 2012: Misinformation and Social Media

(Invisible Children 2012)

            I was scrolling through Facebook when I came across an article declaring “Both the U.S. and Uganda have called off the search for notorious warlord Joseph Kony and his followers, the Lord's Resistance Army, saying that Kony's power has dwindled to the point that he's no longer a threat.” (Domonoske 2017).  The article brought my mind back to the massively viral Kony 2012 social media campaign, and the many criticisms leveled against it.  Like millions others, I saw the Kony 2012 video when it came out and shared it on Facebook.  Later, criticisms of the Kony 2012 video began to spread.  I remember feeling foolish for sharing the video in the first place.  Seeing the new article on calling off the search for Kony got me thinking about the sociological aspects of the Kony 2012 craze.  How did a thirty-minute documentary style video become one of the most viewed videos on the internet?

            To summarize, the Kony 2012 video effectively pulled on viewer’s heart strings to raise awareness of Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony (Invisible Children 2012).  The video simplified and misrepresented the actual conflict with Joseph Kony.  It indicated that Kony was operating in Uganda and that Kony’s army, the LRA, had tens of thousands of soldiers.  However, in his article criticizing the Kony 2012 video, journalist Joshua Keating points that “Joseph Kony is not in Uganda and hasn’t been for 6 years,” and that “the LRA now numbers at most in the hundreds” (Keating 2012).  The idea behind the video was to raise awareness so that the US government would go after Joseph Kony.  This was a problematic message because US military action could result in more violence and conflict (“Fact Checking” 2012).  Invisible Children, the charity behind the Kony 2012 video has also been criticized for spending their funding on “staff salaries and making films that attract much publicity, but don't do much to help people on the ground” (Rozen 2012).  According to the New York Times, in 2011 only 32 percent Invisible Children’s funds went to direct services.  Clearly the Kony 2012 video was deceptive, and the foundation behind it questionable.

(Goodman 2012)

     

            The Kony 2012 video succeeded in going viral because it instilled a sense of responsibility in its viewers.  The video empowers viewers, making them believe that by spreading awareness they can make a difference.  Specifically, the video prompts viewers to share the video on social media (Invisible Children 2012).  As people started seeing their friends and family post the video on social media there is a social pressure to join in the cause and share the video yourself.  Sharing the video can also be seen as an act of impression management.  By posting the video on social media people create a public image of themselves that they are informed about worldly issues and trying to make a difference.  Celebrities like Justin Bieber and Oprah also played a role in spreading Kony 2012 (Goodman 2012).  Celebrities joining in on the cause added to the social pressure to share the video. 

            While social media initially spread the Kony 2012 video, it also propagated the many criticisms against it.  Social pressures shifted from supporting Kony 2012 to understanding that the video was problematic.  In my personal experience, five years later the Kony 2012 video is often the butt of jokes and seen as a corny internet trend backed by a for profit charity.  While it may have ultimately failed, the Kony 2012 phenomenon show us how people can be brought together and empowered by social media.  It also serves as an example of how misinformation, and criticisms of such misinformation, can spread online.

Works Cited

        Domonoske, Camila. "U.S., Uganda Call Off Search For Infamous Warlord Joseph Kony." NPR. NPR, 21 Apr. 2017. Web. 22 Apr. 2017.

        "Fact Checking The 'Kony 2012' Viral Video." NPR. NPR, 08 Mar. 2012. Web. 22 Apr. 2017.

    J. David Goodman and Jennifer Preston. "How the Kony Video Went Viral." The New York Times. The New York Times, 09 Mar. 2012. Web. 22 Apr. 2017.

        Keating, Joshua. "Guest Post: Joseph Kony Is Not in Uganda (and Other Complicated Things)." Foreign Policy. N.p., 07 Mar. 2012. Web. 22 Apr. 2017.

      "KONY 2012." Invisible Children. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2017.

        Rozen, Laura. "Kony 2012: Invisible Children's Viral Video Sparks Criticism That Others Say Is Unfounded." Yahoo! News. Yahoo!, 08 Mar. 2012. Web.