We were without the internet in our house for about two weeks before this morning. Funny how on the day we get it back one of the fastest spreading things to go viral ever (except perhaps memes) has been dominating pretty much every single social networking site. After a couple of weeks feeling like a Luddite, I’ve been reminded just how powerful the internet is. One video has spread faster than Fenton the dog, Charlie bit my finger, and of course, who could forget? Trololo. I am of course referring to the Kony 2012 video. While on the surface the campaign appears completely honest and righteous, it does need to be taken with a pinch of salt – or a massive handful depending on your viewpoint.

In the first few seconds of the video we are told “the next 27 minutes are an experiment”. Then the next couple of minutes are strikingly reminiscent of the recent Google chrome adverts, explaining – as if we didn’t know – how it is ridiculously easy to share things (if you are reading this because of facebook or twitter then note the irony). Then it cuts to a part where, conveniently, a high-definition film crew are recording the birth of his son – which personally, I find a little creepy. We then meet his son Gavin, who is adorable, before they start blowing people up (not literally; you know, that iPhone app where you can pretend to blow people up). Now, I don’t know about you, but I was already a little sceptical at this point. 1) The production values of this were far too high for your average viral video, and 2) the narrator says how his son likes “being in films”, just like his dad. It’s all well and good enjoying being in films of course but I felt a bit disconnected already. “Why?” I don’t hear you ask. Well, it all just felt like it was a piece of fiction rather than a factual documentary, which was a shame – if you don’t believe me then look at the part where he’s scrolling down his facebook timeline to 2003. If you don’t know why that’s inaccurate then look up when facebook was created and you’ll see what I mean. If nothing else just look at all the credits in the video description!

Nonetheless, we learn of Jacob in Africa, Joseph Kony the bad guy and well…watch it for yourself if you are one of the very, VERY few who haven’t already. No doubt, Joseph Kony needs to be arrested and tried at The Hague. That is something everyone can agree on. However a number of issues have arisen almost as rapidly as the video has reached a mass audience.

First and foremost, the organisation behind Kony 2012 has come under scrutiny. ‘Invisible Children’ seem peaceful on the surface but in reality are for military intervention – great! No, not great. It’s a tactic that’s intrinsically dubious considering Kony recruits children, and any mission, whether a success or failure, will end tragically. In this case, fighting fire with fire will only result in an inferno. Jason Russell also has been pictured in Africa with a couple of others in the organisation holding weapons – which for someone pro-peace is a bit rich. I could go on but I feel I would be treading on what others have said. If you wish to read up on it then visit Grant Oyston’s blog ‘Visible Children’ or ‘The Visible Problem with Invisible Children’ (a title with the kind of wit I can only dream of) by a guy called James. Essentially, their problem is that people are following the Kony 2012 campaign far too blindly.

What strikes me most is their financing. Out of their $8,894,632 spent in 2011, $1,074,273 went towards travel and transportation, as well as only 31% (or $2,810,681 to be precise) on direct services. For a charity, this is inexplicable. Furthermore, film and production costs combined make $1,209,162 of the total, which explains why their viral video has more in common with a Hollywood film than a grassroots documentary. Jason Russell is definitely a shifty character, and a self-righteous one at that. To the untrained eye the video seems thoroughly authoritative, when Russell has only portrayed part of the story. Not that it is all bad, just…be careful.

There is also a danger of the Americans coming across as ‘world police’ again. Intervention in Uganda when the public scarcely know anything about the conflict in Africa runs the risk of being another Vietnam or Iraq. Conversely, they also don’t want another Bosnia or Rwanda. International politics is a tricky balancing act, and one which public pressure makes even more precarious. Paternalism is a risky business, especially when Uganda has seen much more grass roots movements emerging in recent years and peace arrangements are progressing. Is it Jason Russell’s place to call for military action? Perhaps, perhaps not.

All this said though, do the ends justify the means? Raising awareness of this issue is a great thing; I feel slightly ashamed and embarrassed not to have heard of Joseph Kony until a few days ago. He is merely the tip of the iceberg though; what about Mugabe? What about Nasil al-Wuhayshi? What about Félicien Kabuga? What about Piers Morgan?! Kudos if you didn’t have to look up any of those people (I certainly did NOT use Wikipedia). If Kony is brought to justice then ‘Invisible Children’ will need further scrutiny if they find that they are heading another heavily orchestrated media campaign against an evil tyrant. Uganda and the wider problems in the Third World will not be solved overnight with the capture of one man. Change can take more than a lifetime; more often than not it takes generations. However, as much as this has proven the power of the internet, making Joseph Kony famous (even though infamous would probably be a more appropriate term) can’t be a bad thing. If he is brought to justice then who am I to say that a highly produced viral video is the wrong way of going about it? If sharing Kony 2012 is indeed the latest fad then at least something good might come out of the end of it, unlike my poor Pokémon cards collecting dust in the attic.

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Readers who submit articles must agree to our terms of use. The content is the sole responsibility of the contributor and is unmoderated. But we will react if anything that breaks the rules comes to our attention. If you wish to complain about this article, contact us here