In the US, youth ages 8-18 spend 7.5 hours everyday using entertainment media. So, what better way is there to outreach to our generation than using social media? The most popular sites that people are members of today include: Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Pintrest, and Google+. We have access to these sites through our computers, ipads, tablets, and smartphones, all devices that we use continuously throughout the day.

In the past month, the United States and the World has been empowered by a new video called Kony 2012, created by Invisible Children. Invisible Children created this 30minute video about Joseph Kony and the LNR. Never has 30 minutes passed so quickly.

Invisible Children managed to create a video that has become the most viral video in history, and create a lot of awareness and response. Wither you agree or disagree with what Invisible Children is asking, or wither you disagree with the simplicity, there is one thing everyone must agree on, Invisible Children created an inspiring video that caught a lot of peoples attention. Invisible Children’s initial goal was to have the Kony 2012 video recieved 500,000 views before 2013. Two weeks later, the video has received around 140 million views.

Invisible Children attempted to create a video that was simple, and to the point. They wanted to create a film that would resonate with people, and something that people could take away from the video. In the video, Invisible Children simply presented the problem and then ended the film with three steps to help people make a change.

Quite simply, using social media is proven to be an easy and quick tool to spread the word. But it also allows a lot of creativity among students to create new ways to grasp reader’s attention, to share their story, and to gain other peoples involvement. Even if other people’s involvement is just a re-tweet, the word is still going to be spread.

I challenge you to once a day, to create a Facebook status or tweet about a cause that you are passionate about. If someone “likes” the status or “re-tweets” the tweet, then you too are spreading awareness to empower other individuals.

Resources:

http://mashable.com/2012/03/12/kony-most-viral/ – ‘KONY 2012′ Tops 100 Million Views, Becomes the Most Viral Video in History [STUDY]

www.good.is/post/a-kony-2012-creator-defends-the-film/ –  ‘There’s a Rabid Hunger to Criticize’: A ‘Kony 2012’ Creator Defends the Film