http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc&list=LLo_6QAwL4YhZLr5HaRbsBfA&index=1&feature=plpp_video
Pay close attention to the message behind this video, but more importantly I want to focus on some key statements mentioned:
- Facebook has more people on its network than the earth did 200 years ago,
- It has about 750 million people worldwide
- This is Facebook world
- It is an avenue where people from all over the world share ideas
Yes, these statements are all about Facebook, but these statements can be applied to many other social media networks out there, e.g. Twitter, Tumblr etc.
Now, I think this initiative to stop Joseph Kony is FANTASTIC! and it shows the REAL power of social media.
Here is a young man, Jason Russell, who was touched by the stories of a young African boy, Jacob, and made a promise to him that I feel will be fulfilled by the end of this year.
The message is very clear, STOP JOSEPH KONY! But it isn't the message that struck my view so much, it was the means and ways in which this young man is going about stopping him. What a brilliant idea! Using social media, to make this guy famous, so he can be captured.
I love the fact that this movement is primarily driven by young people, after all, they do call us the generation of the "Information Age." ALL WE KNOW AND SPEND MOST OF OUR TIME ON IS FACEBOOK AND TWITTER ANYWAYS! WHY NOT PUT IT TO GOOD USE!
As you can see evidently from the video, the use of social media to get the world's attention has surpassed expectations. You see people from Sydney, Canada, Mexico, and many other places not mentioned in the video, getting involved:
- People posting on YouTube;
- Dominating the trending topics on Twitter with #StopKONY2012 or #KONY2012 among others;
- People posting vblogs,
- Flooding Facebook timelines, sharing the video (the link is at the top)
- And my favourite one of all: GEOTAGGING THE KONY FLIERS SO THEY CAN FOLLOW HOW THE WORD IS SPREADING WORLDWIDE IN REAL TIME! AMAZING! I mean people are posting these fliers with their geo-tags on Instagram, Twitter, EVERYWHERE!
Jason Russell (mastermind behind this fabulous idea) said it himself, "99% of the world doesn't know who Joseph Kony is, so the aim is to let everyone know just who he is."
They are maximizing the use of social media in a great effort to stop this criminal! and it is working!
Lets take a moment to think:
Do you think that this effort to stop Joseph Kony would have gotten this far with just the sole use of fliers, billboards and the "action kit?"
NO! How would the world know? They would have to manually fly all over the world to hand out fliers. Now we all know that those costs incurred would be ridiculous!!
There had to be a way to spread this worldwide, and what better way to reach the masses than through the "new" emerging primary means of communication,which in my view is social media; it's virtually inexpensive too.
I think this initiative has more advantages than what meets the eye.
I can say for one, that this effort is one to DISPEL the views of the older generation, that social media is just a waste of time, and a rumour mill for gossip and tarnishing your peers. This effort to #STOPKONY2012 shows that social media can be used for serious issues, and it does have the powerful effect of reaching the masses worldwide and uniting us into one global community fighting against a cause that will better humanity.
Now, go forth and check out the website (below) to see how you can join the effort, you know your going to end up on Facebook later on anyways :P Stop Joseph Kony!
http://www.invisiblechildren.com/
#STOPKONY2012
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