A tad too visible?

The term “Kony 2012” is a familiar slogan for those who saw an Invisible Children video that went viral during the first week of March. The organization’s 30-minute documentary seeks to garner support from viewers for its quest to arrest Joseph Kony, the head of the Ugandan Lord’s Resistance Army. The militia employs children on the frontline of battle, which is why Invisible Children deems Kony one of the world’s war criminals.

While Joseph Kony’s criminality is not in question, the amount of attention that the Kony 2012 campaign will receive in coming weeks—after the social media frenzy dies down—should be.

Will genuine interest in the plight of Ugandan LRA soldiers continue, or will the masses whose clicks popularized the video fall into “slacktivism”—contentment with the bare minimum of charity?

The video attracted massive attention through social media. But as all college students know, “liking” something on Facebook is relatively effortless. Each of us has a moral obligation to serve others, which cannot be so easily satisfied in a mere click. Yet this public display of support, however trivial, can provide individuals with the false feeling that they have contributed sufficiently to a cause. And this is a trap that we should not fall into.

On the whole, micro actions can have macro results—the actions of the individual can build to a substantive collective. The Facebook “like,” for those genuinely interested in aiding the Invisible Children campaign, should be simply a launching pad for increased action. In this case, the public discourse surrounding the Kony 2012 video led to the proposal of a resolution in Congress to expand the effort to stop Joseph Kony, but its passage is far from imminent and its efficacy is even more uncertain. Understandably, not everyone can or should board the next plane to Uganda to take action on the ground. But an individual could call his or her congressional representative to voice support for the resolution, for example.

The fact that the Kony 2012 video has reached 76 million views as of Tuesday night, however impressive, will not necessarily translate into conflict resolution. Invisible Children succeeded in capitalizing on technology’s capabilities, spreading its message like wildfire via social media. Now, the organization—and those who care about it—must mobilize its followers to create tangible action.

But, as with any cause, followers must not follow blindly, and should educate themselves about Invisible Children and the proposal to arrest Kony before devoting time or money. Invisible Children may be a relatively ineffective charity. It has generated uncoordinated energy about Kony, but a solution will require coordinated action by international actors. Would-be activists should investigate whether Invisible Children spends its money prudently before jumping on the bandwagon.

Today, March 14, the Duke Political Union and the Duke Partnership for Service are co-hosting an open dialogue on Kony 2012 led by Duke faculty. Those interested in continued pursuit of Invisible Children’s objectives should maximize such opportunities to explore the benefits and deficiencies of the campaign.