(If you're a grammar nazi, don't judge me for this piece)
What Kony 2012 WILL change:
The social media strategy of Invisible Children was nothing short of brilliant. The presentation to create awareness on a horendous injustice was first class. The idea and execution of creating an unprecedented amount of buzz from a 30 minute video that captures a worldwide audeince in less than 72 hours is astounding. Men and women from several various religious, economic and cultural backgrounds were united for one cause by watching one video - Stop Joseph Kony. This wasn't just a tug on the heart strings of the financially able, it was an idea, a plan and a calling.
In the first few minutes of watching the video, something became abundantly clear... the rules have changed. Invisible Children set the blueprint for pushing a social agenda. Facebook, Twitter and all social media sights are officially the medium for societies information. If you want something to be made public instantly, it can be accomplished by one click. This doesn't sound like a new idea to us who have used social media for years, but the Invisible Children just opened a new door. They created a system where awareness to any issue can be achieved worldwide by focusing on the people who have the ability to help. Spread word though the people first and then let the media markets catch up. This "Propaganda Parade" demonstrates the power an individual holds with social media. It wasn't just a video. It became a call to action for the individual, which in turn became a call to action for the masses. If Joseph Kony is captured because of this campaign, it could fundamentally change the approach of every group fighting for a cause. It will demonstrate the power of uniting all various types of people with a purpose greater than themselves.
I believe men and women who lead churches, civic clubs, non profit organizations and other groups have taken notes from Invisible Children. Any leader with a passion to spread a mission has taken a step back and asked themselves the question, "How can I be more effective on my social media sites?", "What can I produce to help advance our mission?", "What can I do to make a particular cause famous?".
But I don't think it stops with social media. I also believe leaders across this country now have a new burden to stop injustices that exist, not only worldwide but in America too. It's my hope that people, including myself, will stop jumping from cause to cause and find their one calling and fight for it until their dying day. I believe people, especially leaders, are constantly looking for something to be apart of - something that's bigger than themselves. Imagine what could happen if godly Apostolic leaders became invested in stopping social injustices. Enhancing rescue with the Gospel and then witnessing the King deliver, save and restore. That's a beautiful picture of redemption that we can help paint.
What we don't know:
Let's just make one thing clear. There is no perfect organization. Give me time and little resources and I can write a negative blog on any group. Negativity is easy. I don't stand for everything the Invisible Children stand for, but I do stand for the abolishment of slavery, sex trafficking, violence and evil. I don't have the ability to go to Africa and help, but I am blessed with the ability to give a small amount monetarily. I'd rather give a little and hope for the best, than sit at my computer and be a skeptical jaded American who doubts everything. I can't do much but I can do something. Because of this video, I feel called to do more. We don't know how the average individual who watched Kony 2012 will respond, but what we can hope is that something has been started. We can hope that change is coming.
We don't know exactly how every Ugandan feels about this campaign but their opinion does matter. Yesterday I ran across some tweets from #UganadaSpeaks:
@AJELive "The Kony video is not relevant and the moment we needed help these people were not there"
I understand that posting two negative tweets can seem presumptuous or misleading, but appropriate knowledge is necessary in order to prevent inappropriate action. Before we jump on the "America is a super hero and we need to save the Ugandans" train, take a look at what the Ugandans are saying; "Al Jazeera’s Riyaad Minty told Co.Exist that “we launched Uganda Speaks to get responses from people across Uganda via text message, email, Twitter, and Facebook. The idea is to have ordinary Ugandans talk about the [Kony 2012] video in their own voice, as this has largely been missing from the conversation.”"(Link)(Also go to this UgandaSpeaks Link)
From glancing through some of the post on the Uganda speaks page, you find a lot of mixed reviews from Ugandans on Kony 2012. I relearned the fact that knowledge is a powerful tool. By educating ourselves on the full truth we can then decide the appropriate action to take. I never want to be overly skeptical of a campaign that seeks justice, but I feel it's my responsibility to educate myself properly before I stand up on a soapbox.
At the very core of my decision to write this blog is my love for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It's obvious that we should be trying to make Jesus more famous than Joseph Kony, but let's also not forget that sometimes you have to meet people's physical needs before you can address their spiritual needs. It's always been an all or nothing Gospel. It's always been about having Jesus' Heart, Mind, Feet & Hands. We were commissioned to get people from earth to Heaven, but let's not neglect bringing Heaven to earth. It's a death, burial and resurrection Gospel that couples with a Matthew 25 lifestyle that identifies us with Christ. It's repentance, baptism in Jesus name, infilling of the Holy Ghost, holiness and social justice. It's giving to missions, children, youth and to worthy causes outside of our denomination. It's still all about His Heart, Mind, Hands & Feet.
Great thought.
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