Hopping on the KONY 2012 Train

TheKONY 2012 phenomenon has swept my entire social media profiles.With all the critics and seriously passionate people about this cause, I decided it was time to get informed.

My job consists of sitting at a computer for most of the day and because of this I have developed a new hobby. When I wake up I hop on twitter to see the latest trends, when I get to work I see what's changed or what new topics are hot, then I research! I found the KONY 2012 video right away. Lately I have been following the whole Rush  Limbaugh slut issue, the tragic Ohio school shooting, and the new JC Penny branding. [I love following stories to see what people are saying. That's one aspect to social media I love is seeing the culture's opinion. Many times I end up reading all the comments instead of the articles. Sorry, this is off topic.] ....[I just love social media...]

The danger with accruing facts from the Internet is that they are easily incorrect. I could write some made up facts here and people would think they are true. Listen up my generation, just because it is published does not mean it is correct. Especially if it is a blog with no sources. Just because it seems put together and has some attractive people doing good things with trendy logos, bright colors and they have awesome t-shirts does not mean it is correct. [If you want a good laugh about how people believe things on the Internet without doing any research... click here.]

For a few good reasons I normally like to stay away from sharing my opinion on the Internet. One, I am often wrong. For me to sit here and tell you what I think about everything could be so potentially embarrassing , because I am often incorrect. [I have stated above, just because it is published doesn't mean it is correct-- my blog included] I am also hesitant to share my ideas because they will never go away, once something is on the Internet, it does not disappear.

 SIDE NOTE: I have a reoccurring nightmare that I tweet something negative about a company and then attend an interview with that company and they bring up my tweet! Or worse, I get hired then they see my tweet and I'm known as the company online slanderer! 

I think creating awareness and educating is imperative and I love that the Internet makes things to readily available. [There is so much to learn!] And while I think it is important to support good causes, I think it is just as important to research what critics have to say. Before you buy something off the Internet, don't you see what the customer reviews are? Don't you look to make sure they have a high standing with amazon? You should also do the same with any ministry, non-profit or charity you are giving too and supporting.

So, these articles, videos and sights I am posting do not necessarily support or go against what I think about the KONY 2012 campaign. But, I will say, from a PR standpoint, this video has gone viral in a short amount of time and everyone is talking about it- their marketing team did something right.

These articles are here to inform you about all the different angles and conversations on the KONY 2012 campaign. Enjoy!

The video that started it all.

Invisible Children's You tube Channel
Invisible Children's Website
Invisible Children's Facebook, Twitter, Blog

On Kony 2012 - The first article I read cautioning people

The film maker combats the critic. I'll be honest, this guy didn't impress me so much.

CBS: This was the second video I saw with a member of Invisible Children combating the critics. I was much more impressed with this guy. My PR and marketing friends, check out the stats on the video. These people had a really impressive plan for the video to go viral.

'Kony 2012' Sets the mark as a Fast-Spreading Viral Video- Check out the marketing. Insane.

Invisible Children's "Kony 2012" viral video stirs emotion and controversy 

Invisible Children responds to Kony 2012 video criticism 

Anti-Kony video campaign draws criticism in Uganda

Another interview against criticism 

Invisible Children's financial site  

CNN: Joseph Kony: Brutal warlord who shocked world

 The Telegraph: Joseph Kony 2012: growing outrage in Uganda over film

A personal story 

 Overall, I will say this. The Invisible Children organization is exactly what my generation is looking for. A trendy, modern, good-hearted, non-profit that they can easily support. By clicking and updating my Facebook along with  buying a T-shirt gives me the right to feel like I'm are making a difference. When the reality is, does sharing a video make a difference? I'll leave that question open. Cause, honestly, I'm not sure of the answer. Their marketing and graphics team are clearly impeccable. Like said in one of the interviews, I hope this does not turn into a trendy issue right now and then be forgotten later. These children are clearly in need of help- and despite the criticism; I really hope all this exposure makes a huge difference in long run. 

Consider this disclaimed.

Readers- Please excuse all the large and annoying black boxes with the triangles in them! I'm not sure what happened or what I did to have them appear as huge eye sores for everyone to see... but I assure you, they will be fixed- quickly!

I have been reading some articles, watching videos, and as a result some thoughts have been floating around my brain. Some of the content I viewed became decently thought provoking for me. I was compelled to share all this information with you and also wanted to put it all in one place. I hope some of these things get your mind floating everywhere as well! 

*Disclaimer: Just because I post something, does not mean I totally 100% support it or that I am 100% against it. If you want to converse about it, let me know.

1. There is a Facebook App that allows people to set their last status, ever. I think creepy.. Would you want your last words to be on Facebook? I'm not sure. Read about it here.

2. And of course... I'm sorta sick of him now. 



3. Found this on my friends Facebook.. "Why I don't believe in Christian Accountability."

4. I wasn't too sure what SPOA was and ect. Here's a little summery of the whole issue. I found it helpful.

5. It comes out soon..... :]


6. Mark Driscoll interview entitled 'Just Grow Up.' Most thought provoking part for me:

You’ve talked a lot about twenty-somethings today living in a sort of extended adolescence. Why do you think that is?

I think, in particular, it’s young men. Perhaps to some degree it is young women as well, but we’re finding more women are getting better grades, more women are graduating high school, more women are graduating college, more women are buying homes, more women are doing things that are more adult and responsible. We’ve created this. It’s a sociological category. It used to be you go from “boy” to “man,” and now you go from “boy” to “guy” to “man.”

It’s just extended adolescence, where 20s, 30s, sometimes even in his 40s, he doesn’t really want to get married, doesn’t really want to have kids, doesn’t really want to pursue a career. He has a lot of hobbies, got a lot of buddies, watches a lot of porn, gambles, has a lot of fun, maybe plays in some band or is in a guild of World of Warcraft, or something ridiculous like that. And they’ve even got little [mottos] like, “It’s all good” and, “Bros before hos.” It’s just this whole adolescent, juvenile culture. .... and I think part of the problem is, as well, that the Church in large part has accommodated that.

Those guys tend not to go to church. If those guys do show up at church, it’s usually just to find a couple of gals to break the commandments with. And the Church doesn’t really know what to do with them, so the least likely person in America to go to church is a guy in his 20s who is single. Without knowing what to do with those guys, they commit crimes, they get women pregnant, they’re a drain on social services, they don’t raise their kids, they don’t contribute to church, they’re not getting ready to lead the next generation. I’d say it’s nothing short of a crisis, it’s a real problem.

While Driscoll was hounding on the men, I was left with the question, and what are women supposed to do?


7. Gay Rights.


8. I very much enjoyed this article "Women, stop submitting to men." Is there such a thing such as Godly or Biblical feminism?

9. Mark Driscoll and his wife wrote a book on marriage. One review is here.  [Also, Driscoll is speaking at Liberty this Spring. Insert [Eeeeeeeeek] here. I hope he talks about the previous article posted.]

10. A company used the new Facebook Timeline to create an Anti-Drug campaign.