With over 100 million YouTube viewers, the KONY 2012 campaign certainly proved the immense potential of viral activism. Last Friday, however, "Cover the Night," the intended culmination of the growing global movement, saw an astoundingly meager turnout around the world. In stark contrast to marketed images of a sea of excited activists taking to the streets in a grand display of social justice, large cities like Vancouver, British Columbia and Brisbane, Australia posted figures of 17 and 50 volunteers, respectively.
"Cover the Night" was a sobering conclusion to a movement that has built up so much momentum in the past few months. In his column last month, Paul Strauch expressed hope that by "demonstrating how policy can be influenced through mass mobilization," KONY 2012 would set a new precedent for social justice advocacy ("Caution for KONY Critics," March 28). Unfortunately, it seems the "armchair critics" and skeptics around the world have been proven right. Simply liking a YouTube video or tweeting about an ongoing social injustice does nothing to mitigate it.
Invisible Children's singular fixation on press coverage has dried up the energy and excitement necessary to mobilize substantive aid and development funding for areas still suffering from the Lord's Resistance Army's reign of terror. Contrary to many criticisms of the campaign, the LRA still maintains a dangerous presence in the Central African Republic. In fact, Invisible Children's Crisis Tracker reveals a current abduction rate on par with last year's recorded 401 abductions, with 42 abductions occurring in the past month alone. While Invisible Children is undoubtedly fighting for a worthy cause, is the organization really using its funds most effectively by investing in posters, iPhone apps and celebrity tours?
By quickly constructing a broadly marketable icon to social media addicted youths, Invisible Children seems to have forgotten to plan its next course of action. Two weeks ago, as student representatives of the charity held a public viewing of KONY 2012 at the College, many students questioned what exactly the "Cover the Night" event hoped to accomplish. Presenters responded by calling on students to "write to their representatives" to voice their support. Yet policymakers have already acted, sending roughly 100 military advisors to aid in the efforts to capture Joseph Kony. Instead of creating an agenda of community organization and action, Invisible Children left volunteers to essentially fend for themselves.
Allegations of fund and campaign mismanagement have followed Invisible Children throughout its viral campaign. In one noteworthy example, the organization offered Grant Oyston of Visible Children, a blog critical of the video campaign, an all-expenses paid trip to Africa to view the situation first hand. Understandably, the charity hopes to clean some of its tarnished public image, but it seems strange that such public relations stunts would take precedence over anything else.
"We get the feeling that Invisible Children care more about their videos than about victims," Victor Ochen founder and director of the African Youth Initiative Network, which works to rehabilitate victims of LRA violence said. Indeed, Invisible Children's public finances indicate this focus, with actual expenditures on central African programs comprising only 37 percent of fiscal expenditures last year. With millions of dollars in donation revenue, the fact that the vast majority of funding is not reaching affected areas needs to be open to criticism and probing rather than simply being brushed aside.
With its relevant and energizing message of social justice and internationalism, Invisible Children had the potential to transform into something powerful. Perhaps if it had followed the advice of U.N. Undersecretary General Radhika Coomaraswamy and allotted more funds to initiatives like reintegration programs for former child soldiers of the LRA, its campaign could have greater impact. Once again, the dangers of oversimplification can bias expense allocation. LRA combatants will not simply disappear once their leaders are killed or captured. Reintegration is an arduous and costly but valuable process of reunifying abducted children with their families and community networks while also providing psychosocial support and healing.
As it is, KONY 2012 seems to be declining in relevancy fast. One lesson the campaign's organizers may have learned by now is that awareness only goes so far toward effecting change. If they hope to continue their campaign, they would do well to learn from these mistakes.
