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= Kony 2012 article =
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2016}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = KONY 2012
| image          = <!--Stop Kony 2012 poster.png-->
| image_size     = 200px
| caption        = Promotional poster for the video, featuring stylized forms of the donkey symbolizing the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] and the elephant symbolizing the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]], overlapping to form a white [[dove of peace]].
| director       = [[Jason Russell]]<ref name=YouTube />
| producer       = Kimmy Vandivort<br>Heather Longerbeam<br />Chad Clendinen<br />Noelle Jouglet<ref name=YouTube />
| writer         = Jason Russell<br>Jedidiah Jenkins<br />Kathryn Lang<br />Danica Russell<br />Ben Keesey<br />Azy Groth<ref name=YouTube />
| music         = 
| cinematography = Jason Russell<br>Bobby Bailey<br />Laren Poole<br />Gavin Kelly<br />Chad Clendinen<br />Kevin Trout<br />Jay Salbert<br />Shannon Lynch<ref name=YouTube />
| editing        = Kathryn Lang<br>Kevin Trout<br>Jay Salbert<br />Jesse Eslinger<ref name=YouTube />
| studio         = 
| distributor    = [[Invisible Children, Inc.]]
| released       = {{Film date|2012|3|5|Internet}}
| runtime        = 30 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = 
| gross          = 
}}{{LRA}}

'''''Kony 2012''''' is a short documentary film produced by [[Invisible Children, Inc.]] (authors of ''[[Invisible Children]]''). It was released on March 5, 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.globaltvbc.com/video/trending+now+kony+2012/video.html?v=2206826267#stories/video|title=News Hour&nbsp;– Trending Now: Kony 2012|accessdate=March 7, 2012|date=March 6, 2012|publisher=[[Global TV]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.news.ninemsn.com.au/world/8431277/kony-2012-sheds-light-on-uganda-conflict|title=Kony 2012 sheds light on Uganda conflict|date=March 7, 2012|publisher=Ninemsn|accessdate=March 7, 2012|author1=Lees, Philippa |author2=Zavan, Martin }}</ref><ref name=JCTSK>{{cite news|url=http://post-journal.com/page/content.detail/id/599038/Jackson-Center-To-Show-KONY-2012.html?nav=5004|title=Jackson Center To Show KONY2012|date=February 14, 2012|publisher=[[The Post-Journal]]|accessdate=March 7, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17295078|title=Uganda rebel Joseph Kony target of viral campaign video|date=March 8, 2012|publisher=BBC News}}</ref> The film's purpose was to promote the charity's "Stop Kony" movement to make Ugandan cult and militia leader, indicted war criminal and the [[International Criminal Court]] fugitive [[Joseph Kony]] globally known in order to have him arrested by the end of 2012,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://kykernel.com/2012/03/07/a-call-for-justice/ |archive-url=https://archive.is/20120713191826/http://kykernel.com/2012/03/07/a-call-for-justice/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 13, 2012 |title=A call for justice |date=March 7, 2012 |last=Myers |first=Julia |publisher=Kentucky Kernel }}</ref> when the campaign expired. 
The film was widely denounced by critics, and spread [[viral video|virally]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theyorker.co.uk/news/citynews/10807 |title=Kony fever hits York! |accessdate=March 7, 2012 |date=March 7, 2012 |work=The Yorker |author=Neylon, Stephanie |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308142114/http://www.theyorker.co.uk/news/citynews/10807 |archivedate=March 8, 2012 }}</ref><ref name="Molloy">{{cite web|url=http://www.metro.co.uk/tech/892373-kony-2012-campaign-shedding-light-on-uganda-conflict-a-huge-online-success|title=Kony 2012: Campaign Shedding light on Uganda Conflict a Huge Online Success |accessdate=March 7, 2012|date=March 7, 2012|work=[[Metro (Associated Metro Limited)|Metro]]|author=Molloy, Mark}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/03/07/kony-2012-invisible-children-documentary-sheds-light-on-uganda-conflict-video_n_1326183.html?ref=uk|title=Kony 2012: Invisible Children Documentary Sheds Light On Uganda Conflict |accessdate=March 7, 2012|date=March 7, 2012|work=[[Huffington Post]]|author= Nelson, Sara C.}}</ref> {{as of|2016|4|01|df=US}}, the film has received over 101 million views and nearly 1.4 million "likes" on the video-sharing website [[YouTube]],<ref name=Kony2012_YT>{{cite web|title=KONY 2012|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc|publisher=YouTube|accessdate=March 2, 2014}}</ref>  and over 18.6 million views and over 21.5 thousand "likes" on [[Vimeo]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://vimeo.com/37119711|title=Kony 2012|publisher=Vimeo |accessdate=May 5, 2012 }}</ref> with other views on a central "Kony 2012" website operated by Invisible Children. The intense exposure of the video caused the "Kony 2012" website to crash shortly after it began gaining widespread popularity.<ref name="Lees0307">{{cite web|url=http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8431494 |title=Australian support amasses for Kony 2012 |accessdate=March 7, 2012 |date=March 7, 2012 |work=ninemsn |author=Lees, Philippa |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120309174352/http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8431494 |archivedate=March 9, 2012 }}</ref> A poll suggested that more than half of young adult Americans heard about ''Kony 2012'' in the days following the video's release.<ref>[http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2012/Kony-2012-Video/Main-report.aspx Rainie, Lee, Paul Hitlin, Mark Jurkowitz, Michael Dimock, Shawn Neidorf.  The viral Kony 2012 video. Pew Internet & American Life Report. March 15, 2012]</ref><ref name=numbers/><ref name=next>{{cite news|author1=Polly Curtis |author2=Tom McCarthy |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/reality-check-with-polly-curtis/2012/apr/20/kony-2012-what-happens-next |title=Kony 2012: what happens next?|work=The Guardian |accessdate=April 22, 2012 |date=April 20, 2012}}</ref> It was included among the top international events of 2012 by [[PBS]]<ref name=year>{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/multimedia/world122412/6.html |title=Memorable World Moments of 2012 &#124; PBS NewsHour &#124; Dec. 24, 2012 |publisher=PBS |date=December 24, 2012 |accessdate=October 16, 2013}}</ref> and called the most viral video ever by ''[[Time (magazine)|TIME]]''.<ref>{{cite news|last=Carbone |first=Nick |url=http://entertainment.time.com/2012/12/04/top-10-arts-lists/slide/kony-2012/ |title=Kony 2012 &#124; Arts & Entertainment &#124; TIME.com |publisher=Entertainment.time.com |date=December 4, 2012 |accessdate=October 16, 2013}}</ref>

The campaign resulted in a resolution by the [[United States Senate]] and contributed to the decision to send troops by the [[African Union]]. The film also called for an April 20 world wide canvassing campaign, called "Cover the Night". On April 5, 2012, Invisible Children released a follow-up video, titled ''[[#Kony 2012 Part II|Kony 2012: Part II&nbsp;– Beyond Famous]]'', which failed to repeat the success of the original.

==KONY 2012==
The film documents the [[Invisible Children, Inc.|Invisible Children]]'s plans and efforts to capture [[Joseph Kony]]. It describes Kony's actions with his rebel militia group [[Lord's Resistance Army]] (LRA), including [[Impressment|forced recruitment]] of [[child soldiers]], and the regions (northern [[Uganda]], the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]] and [[South Sudan]]) in which they have been active.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.altoona.psu.edu/now/news.php?value=3646 |title=KONY 2012, an Invisible Children film, to show on campus March 12 |accessdate=March 7, 2012 |date=March 5, 2012 |publisher=[[Penn State Altoona]] |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310034444/http://www.altoona.psu.edu/now/news.php?value=3646 |archivedate=March 10, 2012 }}</ref> One of the main people featured in the film is a young Ugandan named Jacob Avaye, whose brother was killed by the LRA. In response, director and founder of Invisible Children, [[Jason Russell]], promises Jacob that he will help "stop Kony".<ref>{{cite news |title=Celebs Help 'Stop Kony' Trend on Twitter: Who Is Kony? |author=Jenny McGrath |url=http://www.wetpaint.com/network/articles/celebs-help-stop-kony-tweet-on-twitter-who-is-kony |newspaper=[[Wetpaint]] |date=March 7, 2012 |accessdate=March 7, 2012}}</ref>

The film advocates the restoration of social order and curtailing compelled and coerced [[Military use of children|youth military service]].<ref name=JCTSK/> The video also has clips of Jason Russell's young son reacting to the information about Kony.<ref>{{cite web|last=Cunningham |first=Todd |url=http://www.thewrap.com/media/article/kony-2012-part-ii-beyond-famous-takes-warlord-and-critics-36822 |title='Kony 2012: Part II - Beyond Famous' Takes on Warlord and Critics |publisher=Thewrap.com |accessdate=April 22, 2012}}</ref> Near the end of the film, a 2011 announcement from U.S. President [[Barack Obama]] is shown authorizing the deployment of 100 [[Special Forces (United States Army)|Special Forces]] military advisers to provide "information, advice, and assistance to partner nation forces" of [[Central Africa]]n countries to "remove Joseph Kony from the battlefield".<ref>{{cite news |title=Uganda: Obama Sends U.S. Military Advisers to Help Track LRA's Kony |author=Jim Lobe |url=http://allafrica.com/stories/201110150156.html |newspaper=[[AllAfrica]] |date=October 15, 2011 |accessdate=April 14, 2012}}</ref> The video concludes by urging viewers to join its publicity campaign by putting up posters and helping out in their communities.<ref name=YouTube>{{cite video|year=2012 |title=KONY 2012 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc |medium=Motion picture |publisher=Invisible Children |accessdate=March 7, 2012}}</ref>

==Invisible Children==
The Invisible Children charity has focused on obtaining the support of a select group of individuals in order to "help bring awareness to the abuse and killing of children in the [[East Africa|East]] and Central African countries at the hands of Kony and his leadership." This list included 20 "celebrity culture makers", such as [[George Clooney]], [[Angelina Jolie]], [[Oprah Winfrey]] (who significantly helped to spread the video<ref name=numbers/>), [[Taylor Swift]] and [[Ryan Seacrest]].<ref name="E!">{{cite news |title=Kony 2012: George Clooney, Angelina Jolie and You Asked to Save Africa's Invisible Children From Torture |author=Rebecca Macatee |url=http://www.eonline.com/news/kony_2012_george_clooney_angelina_jolie/299424 |publisher=[[E!]] |date=March 7, 2012 |accessdate=March 7, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Basulto |first=Dominic |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/innovations/post/clooney-kony-soldiers-spy-satellites-celebrity-philanthropy-goes-high-tech/2012/03/30/gIQADM0MlS_blog.html |title=Clooney, Kony, soldier, spy: Celebrity activism goes high-tech&nbsp;– Ideas@Innovations |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=March 30, 2012 |accessdate=April 22, 2012}}</ref> The list also featured 12 "policy makers" that have "the power to keep U.S. government officials in Africa" in order to work toward the capture of Kony. This list includes former U.S. President [[George W. Bush]] and his Secretary of State [[Condoleezza Rice]], and former Secretary of State [[John Kerry]].<ref>{{cite news|title=The Flash&nbsp;– Rocklin High School&nbsp;– KONY 2012 |author=Devin Moss |url=http://my.hsj.org/Schools/Newspaper/tabid/100/view/frontpage/articleid/507449/newspaperid/234/KONY_2012.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120429032841/http://my.hsj.org/Schools/Newspaper/tabid/100/view/frontpage/articleid/507449/newspaperid/234/KONY_2012.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 29, 2012 |date=March 7, 2012 |accessdate=March 7, 2012 }}</ref>

A number of celebrities endorsed the awareness campaign against Kony, including [[Justin Bieber]], [[Bill Gates]], [[Christina Milian]], [[Nicki Minaj]], [[Kim Kardashian]], [[Rihanna]] and [[Ellen Page]].<ref name="Molloy"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.contactmusic.com/news/stars-join-uganda-campaign_1301071|title=Taylor Swift&nbsp;– Stars Join Uganda Campaign |accessdate=March 7, 2012|date=March 7, 2012|publisher=[[Contactmusic.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.voice-online.co.uk/video/kony-2012|title=Kony 2012 |accessdate=March 7, 2012|date=March 7, 2012|work=The Voice}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Celebs tweet opposition to African strongman Joseph Kony |author=Michelle Profis  |url=http://popwatch.ew.com/2012/03/07/celebs-tweet-joseph-kony/ |newspaper=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |date=March 7, 2012|accessdate=March 7, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/BillGates/status/177883491076284418|title=@BillGates status|author=Gates, Bill|accessdate=March 8, 2012|date=March 8, 2012|publisher=Twitter}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.twitter.com/EllenPage/|title=@EllenPage |author=Page, Ellen}}</ref>

===Cover the Night===
[[File:Kony 2012 Posters in Washington, DC.JPG|thumb|left|Kony 2012 posters on fence on the [[National Mall]] in [[Washington, D.C.]]]]

As part of the campaign, American supporters were asked to put up posters in their hometowns in an action named "Cover the Night", which took place on April 20, 2012.<ref>{{cite news|author=Paul Harris in New York |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/mar/13/kony-2012-invisble-children-day-of-action |title=Kony 2012 organisers plan massive day of action across US cities |work=The Guardian |accessdate=April 22, 2012 |date=March 13, 2012}}</ref> Invisible Children website offers posters and T-shirts in an attempt to gain wider recognition. They also created action kits to help spread awareness that include campaign buttons, posters, bracelets and stickers.<ref name="Lees0307"/>

The "Cover the Night" event took place worldwide on April 20, 2012 and was to be conducted by supporters who were encouraged to perform some sort of charity work that morning in their local community. Then, that evening, they were to post flyers and posters throughout their city for the Kony 2012 campaign. The turnout for the event worldwide was much smaller than initially expected, with no organized spots officially announced and much fewer people attending than had pledged to attend. A tweet from Invisible Children stated, "There is no official meet-up as we are asking people to act locally with friends+family {{sic}} in their neighborhoods."<ref>{{cite news |title=Catch Kony campaign loses couch potatoes |author=Nick Miller |url=http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/catch-kony-campaign-loses-couch-potatoes-20120421-1xdqc.html |newspaper=The Age |date=April 22, 2012 |accessdate=April 22, 2012}}</ref> One gathering in [[Vancouver]] had only 17 people; another in [[Brisbane]] had fewer than 50 attendees.<ref>{{cite news |title=Kony 2012 campaign fails to go offline in Vancouver |author=Mike Hager |url=http://www.globaltvbc.com/kony+2012+campaign+fails+to+go+offline+in+vancouver/6442625789/story.html |newspaper=[[Global BC]] |date=April 21, 2012 |accessdate=April 22, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=KONY 2012's struggle to remain visible |author=Chris Paine |url=http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/kony-2012-how-the-phenomenon-faded/story-e6freuzr-1226334893369 |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=April 21, 2012 |accessdate=April 22, 2012}}</ref> In [[Kelowna]], [[British Columbia]] several signs and posters were put up, including two large banners that were "placed on both sides of the pedestrian overpass".<ref>{{cite news |title=Kelowna makes Kony famous|url=http://www.kelownacapnews.com/news/148386225.html |newspaper=Kelowna Capital News |date=April 21, 2012 |accessdate=April 22, 2012}}</ref> In [[Canberra]], several [[Facebook]] groups resulted in a few gatherings of two or three people each; [[Pierre Johannessen]], a "law firm partner who runs a charity for disadvantaged children", distributed around 3,000 posters to the groups to be put up throughout the city.<ref>{{cite news |title=Kony 2012 poster boy for Civic unrest |author=Douglas Fry |url=http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/kony-2012-poster-boy-for-civic-unrest-20120421-1xebl.html |newspaper=[[The Canberra Times]] |date=April 22, 2012 |accessdate=April 22, 2012}}</ref> In [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]], 200 posters were put up by "college students and other people in their teens and 20s", along with a number of chalk and stencil messages.<ref>{{cite news |title=Kony 2012 supporters 'cover the night' in downtown Phoenix |url=http://downtowndevil.com/2012/04/21/26874/kony-2012-phoenix-uganda/ |newspaper=Downtown Devil |date=April 21, 2012 |accessdate=April 22, 2012}}</ref> {{clear left}}

==Reception==
The film sparked a heated controversy regarding its merits, with very differing opinions being expressed by various [[Non-governmental organization|NGO]] workers, government and international officials, journalists, and other groups and individuals.<ref name="Amnesty International">{{cite web|url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/news/efforts-arrest-joseph-kony-must-respect-human-rights-2012-03-08 |title=Efforts to arrest Joseph Kony must respect human rights |publisher=Amnesty International|accessdate=April 22, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=WTF Was Kony 2012? Considerations for Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies |author=Jayson Harsin |journal=Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies|url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14791420.2013.806149#preview |date=June 25, 2013 |doi=10.1080/14791420.2013.806149 |s2cid=144594610 |accessdate=March 27, 2015}}</ref>

=== Social Media Response ===
After the video was released, various social media outlets went into a frenzy and exploded the Kony 2012 movement into the world-wide news.  The video, directed by [[Jason Russell]], began to generate a tremendous amount of social media attention.  After being the quickest video to reach 100 million views within 6 days, <ref name=":0" /> Kony 2012 took over social media with hashtags like #Kony 2012 and #Bringbackourgirls.  Former First Lady [[Michelle Obama]], along with over a million other individuals, partook in the hashtag frenzy in response to hundreds of girls being kidnapped in Nigeria by Joseph Kony. <ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2014/05/08/bringbackourgirls-kony2012-and-the-complete-divisive-history-of-hashtag-activism/|title=#Bringbackourgirls, #Kony2012, and the complete, divisive history of 'hashtag activism'|last=https://www.facebook.com/caitlin.dewey|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=2017-10-18}}</ref>  The social media impact was so relevant, on March 6th and 7th, more people were talking about the Kony 2012 through Facebook posts than the newly released Apple iPhone.  <ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.notothequo.com/kony-2012-social-media-case-study-stats-and-insights/|title=Kony 2012 Social Media Case Study {{!}} Stats and Insights - N2Q Consulting|date=2012-03-08|work=N2Q Consulting|access-date=2017-10-18|language=en-US}}</ref>  Along with [[Facebook]], nearly 66% of Twitter conversations during March 5th - March 12th were about the Anti-Kony movement.  Social media outlets, such as Facebook, is responsible for informing 27% of young adults of the Kony 2012 video, compared to 10% who learned about it through other traditional platforms. <ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.pewinternet.org/2012/03/15/the-viral-kony-2012-video/|title=The Viral Kony 2012 Video|date=2012-03-15|work=Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech|access-date=2017-10-18|language=en-US}}</ref> Overall, [[Kony 2012]] made a significant impact throughout the social media platforms, during that short period of time, it made such an impact that it became YouTubes number one video of reaching a certain amount of views within a short period of time, along with over 5 million related tweets occurring over just a week. <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pewinternet.org/files/old-media/Files/Reports/2012/The_Viral_Kony_2012_Video.pdf|title=The Viral Kony 2012 Video|last=Rainie|first=Lee|date=|website=Pew Research|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=}}</ref>

===Positive===
[[Luis Moreno Ocampo]], who was featured in the film and was, at the time, the chief [[Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court|Prosecutor]] at the [[International Criminal Court]] (ICC), voiced his support of the film and the campaign that had "mobilised the world", and said that the criticism was "stupid".<ref>[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/uganda/9137982/Joseph-Kony-2012-International-Criminal-Court-chief-prosecutor-supports-campaign.html Joseph Kony 2012: International Criminal Court chief prosecutor supports campaign], ''The Telegraph'', March 12, 2012</ref> The [[United Nations Special Rapporteur|Special Representative]] and head of the newly created [[United Nations]] Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA), Abou Moussa, said that international interest in Kony was "useful, very important".<ref>{{cite news|first=Conal|last=Urquhart|url= https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/mar/24/joseph-kony-african-union-brigade?newsfeed=true|title=Joseph Kony: African Union brigade to hunt down LRA leader|publisher= guardian.co.uk|date= March 24, 2012}}</ref> The [[White House]] released a statement of support through [[White House Press Secretary|Press Secretary]] [[Jay Carney]], who stated in a news conference, "We congratulate the hundreds of thousands of Americans who have mobilized to this unique crisis of conscience" and said that the raised awareness from the video is "consistent with [[Lord's Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act|the bipartisan legislation]] passed by our congress in 2010."<ref>{{cite news |title=Obama throws his support behind 'Kony 2012', while criticism against viral video grows |author=Aliyah Shahid |url=http://articles.nydailynews.com/2012-03-09/news/31141626_1_tim-tebow-child-soldiers-lord-s-resistance-army |newspaper=[[The New York Daily News]] |date=March 9, 2012 |accessdate=March 23, 2012}}</ref> Cameron Hudson, policy director at the [[United States Holocaust Memorial Museum]] and former Africa director in the [[United States National Security Council|National Security Council]], also praised Invisible Children for reaching "tens of millions of people who probably never previously heard of Joseph Kony."<ref name=Rozen>{{cite web|last=Rozen|first=Lauren|title=Kony 2012: Invisible Children's viral video sparks criticism that others say is unfounded|url=https://news.yahoo.com/blogs/envoy/kony2012-invisible-children-viral-video-uganda-conflict-sparks-183106657.html|work=The Envoy/Yahoo News|publisher=The Envoy and Yahoo, Inc.|accessdate=March 10, 2012}}</ref> [[Anthony Lake]], the executive director of [[UNICEF]], was cited as saying that a similar viral video would have made a difference during the [[Rwandan Genocide]] in 1994, also suggesting that "this kind of public attention would also have helped save more lives [[War in Darfur|in Darfur]] and [[Second Congo War|in Congo’s warring east]]."<ref name=Kristof/>

[[Human Rights Watch]] (HRW)'s Africa division senior researcher [[Anneke Van Woudenberg]] wrote in a statement: "We’ve spent years investigating the horrors perpetrated by the LRA in central Africa—Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, [[Central African Republic]] (CAR), and South Sudan. We gathered evidence at massacre sites—wooden clubs covered in dried blood, rubber strips from bicycle tires used to tie up the victims, and freshly dug graves—and spoke to hundreds of boys and girls forced to fight for his army or held captive as [[sexual slavery|sex slaves]]. And we’re elated that #stopKony is a trending topic on [[Twitter]]—if anyone deserves global notoriety it’s Kony." She added: "Arresting Kony and other senior LRA leaders would reaffirm that those who commit mass atrocities will face justice. It will also help end the scourge of one of the most brutal rebel groups in Africa."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2012/03/09/how-catch-joseph-kony |title=How to Catch Joseph Kony &#124; Human Rights Watch |publisher=Human Rights Watch |date=March 9, 2012 |accessdate=April 22, 2012}}</ref> HRW's LRA researcher Ida Sawyer reaffirmed, "we definitely support the message of the film and we think it's great that they're bringing so much attention to the film with Kony's crimes and the phenomena of the LRA."<ref name=real>{{cite news|author1=Polly Curtis |author2=Tom McCarthy |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/reality-check-with-polly-curtis/2012/mar/08/kony-2012-what-s-the-story#block-14 |title=Kony 2012: what's the real story? |work=The Guardian |accessdate=April 22, 2012 |date=March 8, 2012}}</ref> [[Amnesty International]], which had documented what it described as the LRA's "horrific impact on the lives of thousands of civilians in Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan and Uganda" and for years had been calling for the LRA leaders to be arrested, welcomed the massive public response to the Kony 2012 campaign. Erwin van der Borght, the organization's Africa director, wrote in a statement: "Joseph Kony and other LRA leaders have evaded arrest for far too long and this campaign is a salient reminder of the continuing crimes by LRA members and the need to arrest and surrender their leaders to the ICC so they can face trial," but added: "Anyone joining the Kony 2012 campaign should insist that efforts to arrest Joseph Kony must respect [[human rights]]", especially because "many of LRA members were themselves victims of human rights violations including forcible recruitment", and ensure the protection of civilians.<ref name="Amnesty International"/>

Opinions on the film were mixed in [[Gulu]], one of former centers of rebel activities in northern Uganda, during a showing of the film, with several of the leaders expressing support and criticism. One of the attendees, State Minister for Foreign Affairs [[Henry Oryem Okello]], said that the criticisms directed at the film and Invisible Children were "unfounded", going on to state, "Invisible Children has done visible things in [[Acholi]][land], for example offering scholarships to thousands of children and anyone against them is our enemy."<ref>{{cite news |title=Kony 2012 video divides opinion in Gulu |author1=Sam Lawino |author2=Moses Akena |url=http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/1369072/-/ax98g6z/-/ |newspaper=Saturday Monitor |date=March 19, 2012 |accessdate=March 25, 2012}}</ref> [[Betty Bigombe]], a Ugandan cabinet minister and former peace negotiator, said, "I do not know whether it makes any difference as far as taking [Kony] out is concerned. However, what is important is bringing this to the attention of policymakers. I hope that something innovative will come out of it."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/03/14/negotiator_betty_bigombe_on_konys_15_minutes |title=Negotiator Betty Bigombe on Kony's 15 minutes &#124; FP Passport |publisher=Blog.foreignpolicy.com |accessdate=April 22, 2012}}</ref> [[Norbert Mao]], Ugandan politician and president of the opposition [[Democratic Party (Uganda)|Democratic Party]], stated his support for the film, explaining that while it does have some problems, such as implying Ugandans did not try to fight back against the LRA and not explaining how many of the issues in the film were also exacerbated by the Ugandan government itself, the film is still a "positive development" for the issue, adding that while Invisible Children may not be "the foremost analysts of the complicated political, historical and security dynamics" in the situation, "they have the most beautiful trait on earth -- compassion."<ref>{{cite news |title=Guest Post: I've met Joseph Kony and Kony 2012 isn't that bad |author=[[Norbert Mao]] and [[Joshua Keating]]|url=http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/03/21/guest_post_ive_met_joseph_kony_and_kony_2012_isnt_that_bad |newspaper=[[Foreign Policy]] |date=March 21, 2012 |accessdate=March 23, 2012}}</ref>

Journalist [[Nicholas D. Kristof]] thanked Invisible Children for making the film and addressed its criticism, stating that rather than being [[The White Man's Burden|"white man's burden"]], when "a warlord continues to kill and torture across a swath of Congo and Central African Republic ... it's a human burden." He also said that complexity had long been "a leading excuse for inaction during atrocities" and that Kony remains a threat in Uganda's neighbour countries, so the simplicity of the film "has left the American public more informed" than it would be otherwise, and that if he "were a Congolese villager", he would "welcome these uncertain efforts over the sneering scorn of do-nothing armchair cynics."<ref name=Kristof>{{cite news |title=Viral Video, Vicious Warlord |author=[[Nicholas D. Kristof]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/15/opinion/kristof-viral-video-vicious-warlord.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=March 14, 2012 |accessdate=March 25, 2012}}</ref> Foreign correspondent [[Roger Cohen]] called it "simplifying grossly and distorting adeptly to make a valid point: that no effort should be spared to arrest Kony."<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/13/opinion/cohen-stop-kony-now.html #StopKONY Now!!!&nbsp;– NYTimes.com]</ref> British film critic [[Peter Bradshaw]] wrote that ''Kony 2012'', despite its flaws, "lands an almighty punch. This is a principled campaign ad, and a very, very effective one."<ref>{{cite news|author=Peter Bradshaw |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/mar/08/kony-2012-review |title=Kony 2012&nbsp;– review |work=The Guardian |accessdate=April 22, 2012 |date=March 8, 2012}}</ref> Former war correspondent [[Gotham Chopra]] said that he understands "the instinctive backlash (really it’s irritation)" towards the film and the campaign, but "there is enormous value in the fact that millions of people are talking today about genocide in Africa that were mostly unaware of it yesterday."<ref>{{cite web|author=Gotham Chopra |url=http://intentblog.com/kony-2012-and-its-backlash/ |title=Is Kony 2012 trivializing genocide? |publisher=Intent Blog |date=March 8, 2012 |accessdate=April 22, 2012}}</ref> [[Jane Bussmann]], author of a 2009 book about Kony and the [[President of Uganda]] [[Yoweri Museveni]], compared the campaign favorably to the "culture of charity-as-industry" as "at least Kony2012 linked suffering to perpetrators, and urged the young American audience it's aimed at to contact a politician."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/apr/03/kony2012-bono-geldof-charity |title=Kony2012 made up for the flaws of Bono, Geldof and co &#124; Comment is free |work=The Guardian |date=January 3, 2012 |accessdate=April 22, 2012 |first=Jane |last=Bussmann}}</ref> [[Matthew Green (journalist)|Matthew Green]], author of a 2008 book about Kony and the LRA conflict, ''The Wizard of the Nile'', wrote that IC had "achieved more with their 30-minute video than battalions of diplomats, NGO workers and journalists have since the conflict began 26 years ago."<ref>{{cite news|url= http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/882c6c6a-6c34-11e1-8c9d-00144feab49a.html#axzz1qCwXvNMG|title=Let the Kony campaign be just the start|work= [[Financial Times]]|author= Matthew Green|date = March 12, 2012|accessdate=March 27, 2012}}{{registration required}}</ref>

Jacob Acaye, the former child soldier featured in the film, supported the video and defended its makers.<ref>Bazi Kanani, [http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/03/kony-2012-escaped-child-soldier-supports-movie/ ‘Kony 2012′ Escaped Child Soldier Supports Movie], ABC News, March 9, 2012</ref><ref name=jacob/> In response to Ugandans saying that the film was out-of-date, Jacob stated that, "It is not too late, because all this fighting and suffering is still going on elsewhere. Until now, the war that was going on has been a silent war. People did not really know about it. Now what was happening in Gulu is still going on elsewhere in the Central African Republic and in Congo. What about the people who are suffering over there? They are going through what we were going through."<ref name=jacob>{{cite news |title=Child abductee featured in Kony 2012 defends film's maker against criticism |author1=Julian Borger |author2=John Vidal |author3=Rosebell Kagumire |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/mar/08/jacob-acaye-child-kony-2012 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=March 8, 2012 |accessdate=March 23, 2012}}</ref> It was noted by ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' journalists Lindsay Branham and Jocelyn Kelly that a number of people living in the areas where the LRA is currently active have previously called for attention and advocacy to be directed at the issue.<ref>{{cite news |title=Engaging African Voices on Kony |author1=Lindsay Branham |author2=Jocelyn Kelly |url=http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/21/engaging-african-voices-on-kony/ |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=March 21, 2012 |accessdate=March 25, 2012}}</ref> Julien Marneffe, a worker for [[Catholic Relief Services]] in [[Goma]] said "it's been an undeniable success -- and one all humanitarian organizations working in this area can be happy about," but added to "be careful not to oversimplify the issue" and worried that the interest might be short lived when "another crisis or another video will be the next online trend, and I fear that most people will forget about the problems of the LRA."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/catholic-relief-services/q-a-on-kony-2012-the-lra-_b_1347766.html |title=Catholic Relief Services: Q & A: On Kony 2012, the LRA in Congo, and the Catholic Response |work=Huffington Post |accessdate=April 22, 2012 |date=March 16, 2012}}</ref>

===Negative===
Since the video's release, Invisible Children has come under criticism for oversimplification of events in the region<ref name="Okwonga">{{cite news|url=http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/03/07/stop-kony-yes-but-dont-stop-asking-questions/ |title=Stop Kony, yes. But don't stop asking questions |accessdate=March 7, 2012 |date=March 7, 2012 |work=The Independent |location=UK |author=Okwonga, Musa |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308224457/http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/03/07/stop-kony-yes-but-dont-stop-asking-questions/ |archivedate=March 8, 2012 }}</ref> and has been accused of engaging in "[[slacktivism]]", in which one donates or takes actions that have little to no effect beyond making one feel like one contributed.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/evan-bailyn/kony-2012-activism_b_1361791.html |title=Evan Bailyn: The Difference Between Slacktivism And Activism: How 'Kony 2012' Is Narrowing The Gap |work=Huffington Post |accessdate=April 22, 2012 |date=March 19, 2012}}</ref> While the campaign promotes global activism, it has been criticized for providing a black-and-white picture rather than encouraging the viewers to learn about the situation. Mikaela Luttrell-Rowland from [[Clark University]]'s Strassler Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies stated that it was "irresponsible to prize feel good, simplistic messages over complex history and to treat [[consumerism|consumerist]]-consciousness raising as interchangeable with education."<ref>[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mikaela-luttrellrowland/consumerism-trumps-educat_b_1337067.html Consumerism Trumps Education: The Kony 2012 Campaign], ''Huffington Post'', November 3, 2012</ref> Africa researcher [[Alex de Waal]] accused the film of "peddling dangerous and patronizing falsehoods," criticized the campaign as "naive" for "elevating Kony to a global celebrity, the embodiment of evil," that might only help him as a terrorist and cult leader, and called for instead "demystifying Kony—reducing him to a common criminal and a failed provincial politician."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sites.tufts.edu/reinventingpeace/2012/03/10/dont-elevate-kony/ |title=Don't Elevate Kony &#124; Reinventing Peace |publisher=Sites.tufts.edu |date=March 10, 2012 |accessdate=April 22, 2012}}</ref>

One point of criticism is that the film gives a misleading impression of the whereabouts and magnitude of Kony's remaining LRA forces. As of early 2012, Kony's followers were thought to number only in the hundreds, and Kony himself was believed to be in the Central African Republic rather than Uganda—a fact that receives only a passing mention in the video.<ref name="Keating20120307">{{cite web|url=http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/03/07/guest_post_joseph_kony_is_not_in_uganda_and_other_complicated_things |title=Guest post: Joseph Kony is not in Uganda (and other complicated things) |accessdate=March 8, 2012|date=March 7, 2012|work=Foreign Policy|author=Keating, Joshua}}</ref> This problem raised questions about the plausibility of Ugandan army intervention, which the video advocates. Since Kony and most of the LRA forces are currently not in Uganda, the Ugandan army would need to coordinate with the governments and militaries of the other countries where the LRA is active.<ref name=infamous>{{cite web | url=http://www.npr.org/2012/03/08/148239201/joseph-kony-is-now-a-star-but-will-he-be-caught | title=Joseph Kony is Infamous&nbsp;– But will he be caught? | publisher=NPR | accessdate=March 9, 2012}}</ref>

[[Dinaw Mengestu]], an [[Ethiopian American]] writer and Africa researcher, wrote that the real world Kony is "not a click away", and a simple solution of raising popular awareness, "a beautiful equation that can only work so long as we believe that nothing in the world happens unless we know about it ... only works in the [[Myopia|myopic]] reality of the film, a reality that deliberately eschews depth and complexity."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.warscapes.com/reportage/not-click-away-joseph-kony-real-world |title=Not a Click Away: Joseph Kony in the Real World |publisher=Warscapes |date=March 29, 2012 |accessdate=April 22, 2012}}</ref> 
Amanda Weisbaum of the charity [[War Child (charity)|War Child]] said that "just getting rid of one person does not solve the problem" and the film's focus should have been rather on helping ex-child soldiers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.trust.org/alertnet/blogs/technotalk/not-enough-focus-on-child-soldiers-lives-in-kony-2012-war-child/ |title=Not enough focus on child soldiers' lives in "Kony 2012" -War Child&nbsp;– AlertNet |publisher=Trust.org |date=April 4, 2012 |accessdate=April 22, 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120705072012/http://www.trust.org/alertnet/blogs/technotalk/not-enough-focus-on-child-soldiers-lives-in-kony-2012-war-child |archivedate=July 5, 2012 }}</ref> Anne Goddard, president and CEO of [[ChildFund|ChildFund International]], wrote that "by narrowing the focus on Kony, by defining success so singularly, it gives people a greater sense that the issue [of globally widespread conscription of young children] can be resolved. And that hope feeds on itself in a way that becomes infectious."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anne-goddard/beyond-the-kony-video_b_1403039.html |title=Anne Goddard: Beyond the Kony Video |work=Huffington Post |date=April 4, 2012 |accessdate=April 22, 2012}}</ref> [[Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations|United Nations Under-Secretary-General]] [[Radhika Coomaraswamy]] called for the Kony2012 campaign to divert its donation funds from supporting military action to capture Kony to rehabilitation and reintegration programmes for former child soldiers.<ref>{{cite news|author=Les Roopanarine |url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2012/mar/20/kony2012-funds-rehabilitating-child-soldiers?INTCMP=SRCH |title=Kony2012 funds would be best spent on former child soldiers, says UN official |work=The Guardian |accessdate=April 22, 2012 |date=March 20, 2012}}</ref> Victor Ochen, founder and director of Ugandan rehabilitation NGO Ayinet, said that campaign "to promote [Kony] or make him famous" is "offensive", in part because of the Cover the Night event's date (an anniversary of the [[Atiak massacre]] by the LRA in Uganda in 2005 and the date of birth of [[Adolf Hitler]]), adding "How do you think Americans would have reacted if people in another country wore [[Osama bin Laden]] T-shirts?"<ref name=cover>{{cite news|author=Pete Jones in Kampala |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/apr/20/kony-2012-cover-night-campaign |title=Kony 2012: Invisible Children prepares Cover the Night stunt amid criticism|work=The Guardian |accessdate=April 22, 2012 |date=April 20, 2012}}</ref>

After the film's release, there was criticism in Uganda of its failure to state more clearly that Kony and his forces fled northern Uganda in 2006 and were dispersed across the jungles of three neighbouring countries. Fred Opolot, spokesman for the Ugandan government, said, "It is totally misleading to suggest that the war is still in Uganda."<ref name="pflanz"/> Arthur Larok, [[ActionAid]]'s director in Uganda, said, "It doesn't sound like a fair representation of Uganda. We have challenges within the country, but certainly the perception of a country at war is not accurate at all."<ref>{{cite news|author1=Polly Curtis |author2=Tom McCarthy |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/reality-check-with-polly-curtis/2012/mar/08/kony-2012-what-s-the-story |title=Kony 2012: what's the real story? |work=The Guardian |accessdate=April 22, 2012 |date=March 8, 2012}}</ref> Dr Beatrice Mpora, director of a community health organization in Gulu, commented, "There has not been a single soul from the LRA here since 2006. Now we have peace, people are back in their homes, they are planting their fields, they are starting their businesses. That is what people should help us with."<ref name="pflanz">{{cite news|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/uganda/9131469/Joseph-Kony-2012-growing-outrage-in-Uganda-over-film.html|title=Joseph Kony 2012: growing outrage in Uganda over film|last=Pflanz|first=Mike|date=March 8, 2012|work=The Telegraph|accessdate=March 17, 2012}}</ref> [[Prime Minister of Uganda]] [[Amama Mbabazi]] launched an online response on YouTube, in which he seeks to correct the "false impression" that Uganda is still at war, and invites everyone to visit the country, assuring that people would find it "a very different place to that portrayed by Invisible Children".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/03/2012317134323360997.html|title=Uganda launches video to counter 'Kony 2012'|date=March 17, 2012|publisher=Al Jazeera|accessdate=March 17, 2012}}</ref> Meanwhile, dozens of members of Ugandan diaspora in United States protested outside the Invisible Children offices in [[San Diego]], also criticizing the video but saying Kony represents "only three percent of all the problems" in their home country and lambasting the Ugandan government for its inadequate response to Kony's terror and other issues.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/04/kony-creators-to-release-sequel-to-viral-documentary-group-says.html |title='Kony' creators to release sequel to viral documentary, group says |work=Los Angeles Times |date=April 2, 2012 |accessdate=April 22, 2012}}</ref>

A March 2012 mass showing of the film in [[Lira, Uganda|Lira]], the site of one of Kony's worst atrocities in Uganda, was met with jeering and thrown objects at the screen and at the group African Youth Initiative Network, which screened the film and provided translations. The screening prompted angry calls to local radio stations by Ugandans upset that the film was so focused on the filmmakers and Kony while neglecting the conflict's victims, prompting complaints that the film was "more about whites than Ugandans."<ref name=screening/> Others objected to being reminded of the horrors Kony brought to Uganda. Despite the negative response, the organization still planned on showing the film in other towns, hoping to avoid this response by providing context for the film.<ref name=screening>{{cite news |title='Kony' Screening Inflames Ugandans |author1=Nicholas Bariyo |author2=Erica Orden |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=March 16, 2012 |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303863404577283531931361326?google_editors_picks=true |accessdate=March 16, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rU_1jnrj5VI|title=Kony screening provokes anger in Uganda|publisher=Al Jazeera|accessdate=March 15, 2012}}</ref> Some Ugandan commentators have also criticized the video for its aim of making Kony "famous", even believing it means to "celebrate" him, and for its advocacy of foreign military intervention to stop him.<ref name=cover/><ref name="pflanz" />

Mahmood Mamdani, director of the Institute of Social Research at [[Makerere University]], [[Kampala]], argued that the LRA is "a Ugandan problem calling for a Ugandan political solution" and against "mobilisation of millions [to] be subverted into yet another weapon in the hands of those who want to further militarise the region."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2012/03/20123138139642455.html |title=Kony: What Jason did not tell the Invisible Children&nbsp;– Opinion|publisher=Al Jazeera |accessdate=April 22, 2012}}</ref> Ugandan journalist Rosebell Kagumire said that "the war is much more complex than one man called Joseph Kony."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/reality-check-with-polly-curtis/2012/mar/08/kony-2012-what-s-the-story |title=Kony 2012: what's the real story? |publisher=theguardian.com |date= |accessdate=October 16, 2013}}</ref> A more recent showing of ''Kony 2012'' at Pece War Memorial Stadium in Gulu, Uganda sparked a riot in which dozens of people were injured. The archbishop of Gulu, Rt Rev. John Baptist Odama, was reported as saying that the video "has ill motives and geared towards igniting anger in the population to cause violence." Margaret Aciro, whose picture appears in the video showing her face mutilated by the LRA, said she "became sad" after seeing it being "used to profit."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/1387926/-/aw2cd3z/-/index.html |title=Kony 2012 video makers using us to make profit, war victim says - National |publisher=monitor.co.ug |date= |accessdate=October 16, 2013}}</ref>

Father Ernest Sugule, national coordinator of the Congolese non-governmental organization SAIPD in [[Dungu, Democratic Republic of the Congo|Dungu, DRC]], claimed that the few people there "who have succeeded in watching [''Kony 2012''] are very critical on the film," as is he himself.<ref name=next/> Charlie Beckett, a media communications expert at the [[London School of Economics]] (LSE), said Invisible Children ,"haven't got the capacity for is to take that beyond another action. What are they going to do with all this energy and interest? It's going to dissipate. ... I think this will crash and die, I don't think they will catch Kony. People will say they bought the bracelet and stuck posters on lamppost but that could have negative effects when it doesn't actually lead anywhere."<ref name=next/>

===Decline of the Movement===



The fame of director [[Jason Russell]]'s 30-minute documentary was short-lived. After becoming the fastest video in history to have reached 100 million views<ref name=":0">{{cite news|last1=Wasserman|first1=Todd|title='KONY 2012' Tops 100 Million Views, Becomes the Most Viral Video in History [STUDY]|url=http://mashable.com/2012/03/12/kony-most-viral/#0IHt2sGJXEqF|accessdate=18 October 2017|agency=Mashable}}</ref>, the popularity of the video dwindled— in 5 years it had added less than 1/50 of its views it had garnered in its first 144 hours <ref>{{cite web|title=KONY 2012|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc|website=YouTube|publisher=Invisible Children}}</ref>. For [[Occupy Wall Street]], the climb toward the most popular peak of the movement lasted 3 months-- [https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=2010-10-03%202017-11-03&q=%23occupywallstreet from August 2011 to October 2011].There is much speculation on how the movement died off. Rick Cohen suggests that the video "sucked the energy out of the organizing"— people already knew what Kony 2012 was so there was no need to create awareness about it <ref>{{cite news|last1=Cohen|first1=Rick|title=Why Did "Kony 2012" Fizzle Out?|url=https://nonprofitquarterly.org/2012/04/26/why-did-kony-2012-fizzle-out/|publisher=nonprofitquarterly}}</ref> Cohen also makes reference to a "counter-narrative" that arose in Uganda. Ugandans criticized the movement for releasing false information— claiming that the [[LRA]] had not had a presence in Uganda since 2006<ref>{{cite news|last1=Pflanz|first1=Mike|title=Joseph Kony 2012: growing outrage in Uganda over film|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/uganda/9131469/Joseph-Kony-2012-growing-outrage-in-Uganda-over-film.html|accessdate=18 October 2017|agency=telegraph.co.uk|publisher=Telegraph Media Group|date=March 8 2012}}</ref>. A parody of the [[Invisible Children, Inc.]], the "[http://visiblechildren.tumblr.com Visible Children]", criticized the non-profit organization for misusing donations and overpaying their employees. Delinquent acts of graffiti from the movement's followers and lewd acts by creator [[Jason Russell]] led to further criticism of the movement <ref>{{cite news|last1=Holt|first1=Mytheos|title='Kony 2012': Viral Video's Filmmaker Arrested for Lewd Acts|url=http://www.theblaze.com/news/2012/03/16/scandals-dog-kony-2012-graffiti-appears-in-texas-originator-arrested-for-lewd-acts/|accessdate=18 October 2017|agency=The Blaze|date=March 16, 2012}}</ref>. Finally, the movement's nature as a meme transformed it to be unattractive platform for some to donate.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Baker|first1=Katie|title=Think Twice Before Donating to Kony 2012, the Charitable Meme du Jour|url=https://jezebel.com/5891269/think-twice-before-donating-to-kony-2012-the-meme-du-jour|accessdate=18 October 2017|agency=jezebel|publisher=gizmodo|date=march 7, 2012}}</ref>

===Lord's Resistance Army's response===
A statement purported to be released by Kony's Lord's Resistance Army rebels and signed by the group's spokesman<ref name=cnn>{{cite news|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2012/04/06/world/africa/kony2012-lra-reaction/index.html |title=LRA slams Kony video as act of deception |publisher=CNN |date=April 6, 2012 |accessdate=April 22, 2012}}</ref> and negotiator Justine Nyeko ("The Leader, LRA Peace Team")<ref name=sequel>{{cite news|last=Gabbatt |first=Adam |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/blog/2012/apr/05/kony-2012-sequel-video-live |title=Kony 2012 sequel video&nbsp;– does it answer the questions? |work=The Guardian |date=April 5, 2012 |accessdate=April 22, 2012}}</ref> condemned the film as "a cheap and banal panic act of mass trickery to make the unsuspecting peoples of the world complicit in the US rogue and murderous activities in Central Africa."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rebelweb.me/lra-reacts-to-kony-2012-video/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120411050508/http://rebelweb.me/lra-reacts-to-kony-2012-video/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 11, 2012 |title=» Blog Archive » Ugandan LRA rebels react to KONY 2012 Video |publisher=Rebelweb.me |accessdate=April 22, 2012 }}</ref> The statement was obtained by Ugandan journalist Frank Nyakairu, received from Nairobi, Kenya-based LRA representatives.<ref name=cnn/> It was also reported that the LRA abduction rate sharply increased in the weeks since the film was released, although it was impossible to confirm the link between the rise in LRA attacks and Kony's global notoriety.<ref name=cover/>

===Invisible Children's response===
On March 8, 2012, Invisible Children released an official response addressing the criticisms directed at ''Kony 2012''. As an explanation for the simplicity of the movie, they stated that "in [their] quest to garner wide public support of nuanced policy, [they] sought to explain the conflict in an easily understandable format." Jedidiah Jenkins, the director of idea development for Invisible Children, responded to the new criticisms by saying that they were "myopic" and that the video itself was a "tipping point" that "got young people to care about an issue on the other side of the planet that doesn’t affect them."<ref name="Post1">{{cite news |title=Invisible Children responds to criticism about 'Stop Kony' campaign |author=Elizabeth Flock |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/invisible-childrens-stop-kony-campaign/2012/03/07/gIQA7B31wR_blog.html?wprss=blogpost |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=March 7, 2012 |accessdate=March 7, 2012}}</ref> In response to concerns about working with the Ugandan government, Invisible Children explained that they "do not defend any of the human rights abuses perpetrated by the Ugandan government or the Ugandan army". They added that the reason why they are working with the Ugandan army even though Kony is no longer in Uganda is that the army is "more organized and better equipped than that of any of the other affected countries (DRC, South Sudan, CAR) to track down Joseph Kony" and that they want all of the governments in the region to work together to arrest Kony.<ref name="Invisible Children Website">{{cite web|title=Invisible Children Critiques |url=http://www.invisiblechildren.com.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/critiques.html |accessdate=March 10, 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308102109/http://www.invisiblechildren.com.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/critiques.html |archivedate=March 8, 2012 }}</ref> Jenkins stated, "There is a huge problem with [[political corruption]] in Africa. If we had the purity to say we will not partner with anyone corrupt, we couldn’t partner with anyone."<ref name="Post1"/>

A video titled ''Thank you, KONY 2012 Supporters'' was released on March 12, 2012 to address the criticisms directed at the film and to be "fully transparent", according to Invisible Children CEO Ben Keesey. The film begins with Keesey discussing the three things that the charity focuses on, which are to "create films with compelling narratives, promote international advocacy and run on-the-ground initiatives." He also points out that "overhead and travel costs are essential to those efforts", as a part of the group's management expenses, along with going toward "thousands of free screenings of the group’s films worldwide, as well as toward bringing survivors of the Lord’s Resistance Army&nbsp;... to speak at these events."<ref>{{cite news |title=Invisible Children Releases New Video in Response to 'Kony 2012' Criticism |author=Samantha Grossman |url=http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/03/12/invisible-children-releases-new-video-in-response-to-kony-2012-criticism/ |newspaper=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=March 12, 2012 |accessdate=March 25, 2012}}</ref> Keesey explains the way the charity's annual expenditures are made, with "80.5 percent to 85.7 percent of total annual spending from fiscal 2007 to 2011" going toward "'program expenses'—money that directly benefits their cause",<ref>{{cite news |title=Joseph Kony 2012: Invisible Children release new film responding to criticism |author=[[Staff writer]] |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/joseph-kony/9139970/Joseph-Kony-2012-Invisible-Children-release-new-film-responding-to-criticism.html |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=March 13, 2012 |accessdate=March 25, 2012}}</ref> and finished by urging interested parties to make inquires to the group via [[Twitter]], using the account @invisible and hashtag #AskICAnything. Two further short videos featured LRA survivors expressing support for the film and the organization.<ref>{{cite news |title=Invisible Children has released new video in response to 'Kony 2012' criticism |author=Elizabeth Flock |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/invisible-children-to-release-new-video-in-response-to-kony-2012-criticism/2012/03/12/gIQA8AST7R_blog.html |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=March 12, 2012 |accessdate=March 25, 2012}}</ref>

The website Kickstriker, a parody of [[Kickstarter]], contains a fake appeal to crowdsource the "hiring private military contractors from [[Academi]] (formerly Blackwater), who will be immediately deployed to central Africa" with a mission to capture or kill Kony.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kickstriker.com/kony |title=Capture Kony: Bring Joseph Kony to Justice |publisher=Kickstriker |date= |accessdate=October 16, 2013}}</ref> In response, Invisible Children sent the Kickstriker team a [[cease and desist]] warning to take down the parody page, accusing them of "causing public confusion through your use of Invisible Children’s copyrighted and trademarked property" and threatening a legal action. According to [[Wired.com]], the legal threats "[had] Kickstriker’s founders rolling their eyes."<ref>{{cite news|last=Ackerman |first=Spencer |url=https://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/06/kony-2012-lawsuit/ |title='Kony 2012' Threatens Lawsuit Against Online Parody &#124; Danger Room |publisher=Wired.com |date=June 18, 2012 |accessdate=October 16, 2013}}</ref>
==''Kony 2012 Part II''==
''Kony 2012: Part II&nbsp;– Beyond Famous''<ref name=released>{{cite news|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/joseph-kony/9187761/Kony-2012-Part-2-Beyond-Famous-released.html |title=Kony 2012: Part 2&nbsp;– Beyond Famous released&nbsp;– Telegraph UK |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=March 7, 2012 |accessdate=April 22, 2012}}</ref> is a 20-minute video follow-up to ''Kony 2012''. The film was announced early on April 2, 2012, to be released within the week.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/04/04/invisible-children-postpones-release-of-kony-2012-sequel/ |title=Kony 2012 sequel release postponed by Invisible Children charity|work=National Post |accessdate=April 22, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/apr/02/kony-2012-campaigners-sequel-video|title=Kony 2012 campaigners announce sequel video|work=The Guardian |date=April 2, 2012|first=David|last=Smith}}</ref> It was initially announced to be released on April 3, but was delayed for two days due to editing problems.<ref name=released/><ref name=more>{{cite web|url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/more-news/joseph-kony-returns-in-new-internet-film-says-invisible-children/story-e6frf7lf-1226318131985 |title=KONY 2012 Part II: more context, more snags |work=Herald Sun |accessdate=April 22, 2012}}</ref>

''Beyond Famous'' aims to address criticisms of the original film and to present more information about Kony's LRA rebellion, including its impact on the countries other than Uganda, as well as about Invisible Children's work and the Kony 2012 campaign.<ref name=more/><ref name=new/> Executive Director and CEO of Invisible Children, Inc. Ben Keesey, who narrates the film, said the sequel was made in two weeks. In a statement announcing the video, Keesey said that Invisible Children wants people "to dig deeper into this conflict and actively engage in the solutions."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/04/20124513057697254.html |title=US group releases second 'Kony 2012' video|publisher=Al Jazeera |accessdate=April 22, 2012}}</ref> Jason Russell, who was hospitalized on March 15 due to "a temporary psychotic breakdown believed to have been brought on by the pressure of the success—and criticism—of the first film", is not featured in ''Part II''.<ref name=part2/>

===Reception===
In a pre-release comment, [[popular culture]] expert [[Robert Thompson (professor)|Robert Thompson]] said: "The fact is, the story has developed in so many odd ways with all the controversy, and the sequel can't really promise the bang of that first video—which is informing people of something they did not know before. Now we're getting into the details, which is never that thrilling."<ref name=new>{{cite news|author=Julie Watson Associated Press |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1156866--kony-2012-new-video-on-african-warlord-tackles-criticisms-fired-at-invisible-children |title=Kony 2012: New video on African warlord tackles criticisms fired at Invisible Children&nbsp;– |work=Toronto Star |date=April 5, 2012 |accessdate=April 22, 2012}}</ref> The LRA researcher Craig Valters of the LSE's department of International Development said that the second video "overwhelmingly" failed to answer criticisms raised by the first film.<ref name=sequel/> On the other hand, Mike Pflanz, East Africa correspondent for ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'', said that the sequel was "a more solid, moving and, finally, accurate presentation of the ongoing battle to capture Joseph Kony" and that, in comparison to the original video, the "new video is couched in nuance and deploys dialogue more commonly heard in a United Nations workshop – displacement, rehabilitation, post-conflict—than in a YouTube smash."<ref name=part2>{{cite news |title=Kony2012: Part II more solid, moving and accurate presentation than first film |author=Mike Pflanz |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/joseph-kony/9188955/Kony2012-Part-II-more-solid-moving-and-accurate-presentation-than-first-film.html |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=April 5, 2012 |accessdate=April 5, 2012}}</ref>

According to ''[[The Guardian]]'', the sequel "does not seem to have captured the public's imagination in quite the same way as Invisible Children's earlier video did, failing to significantly trend on social media websites."<ref name=sequel/> By April 16, 2012, it had received 1.7 million views in 11 days, less than 2% of what the first video had in its first five days. Matt Fiorentino, director of marketing at video measurement firm Visible Measures, considered the first campaign a never-seen-before anomaly, and despite being dwarfed by its predecessor, the number of views ''Beyond Famous'' received was "pretty good" when compared to a regular social campaign.<ref>{{cite web|author=Todd Wasserman|url=http://mashable.com/2012/04/16/kony-sequel-traffic/ |title=KONY Sequel Got 2% of the Traffic of Its Predecessor |publisher=Mashable.com |date=April 16, 2012 |accessdate=April 22, 2012}}</ref> ''The Guardian'' nevertheless described ''Beyond Famous'' as "one of the top 25 non-profit campaigns ever."<ref name=numbers>{{cite news |title=Kony 2012 in numbers |author=Antonia Kanczula |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2012/apr/20/kony-2012-facts-numbers?newsfeed=true |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=April 20, 2012 |accessdate=April 20, 2012}}</ref>

== Virality of the Movement == 
In under a week, the video created by Invisible Children, Kony 2012 had been viewed over 100 million times. <ref>http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/03/12/kony-2012-documentary-becomes-most-viral-video-in-history/</ref> Time magazine credits Invisible Children's strong base of followers on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. Unlike other videos that accidentally "go viral", Kony 2012 was created to illicit emotional responses and encourage viewers to share the footage and spread the hashtag. Viewers did such a good job sharing it, they attracted the attention of celebrities like [[Oprah Winfrey]], [[Rihanna]], [[Bill Gates]], [[Ryan Seacrest]], [[Justin Bieber]], and [[Kim Kardashian-West]]. <ref>http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/03/12/kony-2012-documentary-becomes-most-viral-video-in-history/</ref> <ref>http://www.npr.org/2014/06/14/321853244/the-kony-2012-effect-recovering-from-a-viral-sensation</ref> Although the video was so popular, not all the interactions were positive. But the more criticism the video drew, the more people watched it and shared it so that they could be a part of the conversation. Unfortunately for Invisible Children, their Public Relations team was not ready for the over night fame and failed to control the narrative of the fall out. <ref>http://www.npr.org/2014/06/14/321853244/the-kony-2012-effect-recovering-from-a-viral-sensation</ref> 

Forbes gives a breakdown of 12 reasons why the video went so viral. They cite that the video invoked positive feelings, grabbed viewers attention, made it personal, referenced mainstream media, pulled on the heartstrings, conveyed immediacy, made it simple, made it real, gave it a scale, used celebrities, created events, and made it easy to get involved.<ref>https://www.forbes.com/sites/anthonykosner/2012/03/09/12-lessons-from-kony-2012-from-social-media-power-users/#45f979dd4328</ref> These 12 basic tactics affected viewers so much so that the Kony 2012 campaign sold out of merchandise when their two interns could not keep up with the hundreds of thousands of action kits supporters could buy. Jason Russel told Business Insider, "We sourced every single red T-shirt in the entire US. There were no more to buy." <ref>http://www.businessinsider.com/the-guy-behind-the-kony-2012-video-finally-explains-how-everything-went-so-weird-2013-3?page=2</ref> The google trends for searches like "Joseph Kony" and "Kony 2012" all show flatlines until the video was released where the spike reaches all the way to 100%. <ref>https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=Kony%202012</ref> Before Invisible Children released the video, Joseph Kony and the LRA were mostly unknown to America and the rest of the world. Although Kony 2012 has faced heavy criticism for their simplicity, white savior complex and money fraud, one can not deny that the video was a huge success by spreading awareness of the problem in Uganda.

==Impact==

===United States===
On March 21, 2012, a resolution "condemning Joseph Kony and his ruthless guerrilla group for a 26-year campaign of terror" was put forward by [[United States Senate|Senators]] [[Jim Inhofe]] and [[Chris Coons]]. The resolution stated that it would back "the effort of Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic and the newest country, South Sudan, to stop Kony and his Lord's Resistance Army", along with an official statement of support "for the U.S. effort to help regional forces pursue commanders of the militia group." Overall, the resolution received support from 34 senators, both [[Republican Party (United States)|Republicans]] and [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Senate pushes measure condemning Kony |author=Donna Cassata |url=http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2012/03/21/senate_pushes_measure_condemning_kony/|date=March 21, 2012 |accessdate=March 2, 2015 |work=The Boston Globe}}</ref><ref name="Politico">{{cite news |title=Joseph Kony captures Congress' attention |author=Scott Wong |url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0312/74355.html |newspaper=[[Politico]] |date=March 22, 2012 |accessdate=March 23, 2012}}</ref>

Support among senators for the resolution came about after the release of the ''Kony 2012'' video and its subsequent popularity. One of the resolution leaders, Senator Chris Coons, became aware of the situation after his daughters asked him what he was doing to stop Kony and Senator [[Roy Blunt]] was informed "at a Missouri caucus in St. Louis when a constituent quizzed him about Kony". One of the co-sponsors of the resolution, Senator [[Lindsey Graham]], stated that, "When you get 100 million Americans looking at something, you will get our attention. This YouTube sensation is gonna help the Congress be more aggressive and will do more to lead to his demise than all other action combined."<ref name="Politico"/>

In April of 2017, the United States military began the process of pulling out 150 American soldiers from the [[Central African Republic]], the [[Democratic Republic of Congo]], [[South Sudan]] and [[Uganda]], even though [[Joseph Kony]] had not been caught.<ref>https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/20/world/africa/uganda-joseph-kony-lra.html?mcubz=0</ref> They began sending home equipment and turning over their bases to the United Nation's. <ref>https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/20/world/africa/uganda-joseph-kony-lra.html?mcubz=0</ref> The US has spent more than $800 million in efforts since 2011 to advise, support and offer logistical assistance to fight the [[Lord's Resistance Army]] (LRA) with the [[African Union]] soldiers. <ref>https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/15/world/africa/joseph-kony-mission-ends.html?mcubz=0</ref> Officials are calling it a win, stating that the LRA has dwindled from 3,000 fighting soldiers to less than 100. <ref>https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/15/world/africa/joseph-kony-mission-ends.html?mcubz=0</ref> Although [[Joseph Kony]] was not captured, American officials are saying that they will keep working with African officials to stabilize the region and continue to foster an alliance. <ref>https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/15/world/africa/joseph-kony-mission-ends.html?mcubz=0</ref> 

===Africa===
{{see also|Lord's Resistance Army insurgency}}

On March 23, 2012, the [[African Union]] (AU) announced its intentions to send an international brigade of 5,000 military troops "from Uganda, South Sudan, Central African Republic and Congo, countries where Kony’s reign of terror has been felt over the years ... to join the hunt for rebel leader Joseph Kony" and to "neutralize" him. According to the statement, the mission commenced on March 24, 2012 and the search "will last until Kony is caught",<ref name="AP">{{cite news |title=Kony 2012: African Union ramps up hunt for Uganda rebel leader in wake of viral video |author=Rodney Muhumuza |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1150843--kony-2012-african-union-ramps-up-hunt-for-uganda-rebel-leader-in-wake-of-viral-video |agency=[[Associated Press]] |date=March 23, 2012 |accessdate=March 23, 2012 |work=The Star}}</ref> after which the task force will be disbanded. The effort is Ugandan-led and backed by the U.S. with the 100 advisers already there, who are offering advice, intelligence and training, along with equipment.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/24/us-southsudan-kony-idUSBRE82N08T20120324 |title=African Union launches U.S.-backed force to hunt Kony |work=Reuters |accessdate=April 22, 2012 |date=March 24, 2012}}</ref> The brigade has established its headquarters in [[Yambio]] in South Sudan, close to the border with the DRC, and is commanded by a Ugandan officer; a Congolese officer has oversight of intelligence operations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.globalpost.com/dispatches/globalpost-blogs/africa/everyones-hunting-kony-now |title=Kony 2012: African Union joins the hunt for Joseph Kony |publisher=GlobalPost |date=March 23, 2012 |accessdate=April 22, 2012}}</ref>

The [[United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees]] (UNHCR) spokeswoman Melissa Fleming said the agency welcomed the "unprecedented" initiative to "end the atrocities in the region" and urged all involved to respect human rights and minimize risk to civilians.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/world_now/2012/03/kony-lords-resistance-army-increased-attacks.html |title=Kony militia steps up attacks in Congo, Central African Republic |work=Los Angeles Times |date=March 30, 2012 |accessdate=April 22, 2012}}</ref> AU [[counter-terrorism]] envoy Francisco Madeira said, "We need to stop Kony." The ICC chief prosecutor [[Luis Moreno Ocampo]] voiced confidence that the video will "produce the arrest of Joseph Kony this year," adding: "That is the impact of the campaign."<ref>{{cite web|author=<!--[if IE 6]> <![endif]--> |url=http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/04/01/204536.html |title=Viral video will spur Kony arrest this year: ICC&nbsp;– Yahoo! News |publisher=Al Arabiya |date=April 1, 2012 |accessdate=April 22, 2012}}</ref> However, Patrick Wegner, an academic at the Max Planck Research School on Successful Dispute Resolution in International Law, claimed it was "plain wrong" to suggest the AU action was prompted solely by Kony 2012, saying that "the idea is a lot older than the Kony 2012 video" as the plans for forming an anti-LRA regional military force have been first reported in international news media in 2010.<ref>{{cite news|author=Polly Curtis |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/apr/19/kony-2012-nirvana-missed-chance |title=Kony 2012: nirvana of online campaigning or missed chance?|work=The Guardian |accessdate=April 22, 2012 |date=April 19, 2012}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Film|Uganda}}
*[[Child soldiers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo]]
*[[International Criminal Court investigation in Uganda]]
*[[Lord's Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act]]
*[[Jason Russell]]
{{Clear}}

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*{{YouTube|Y4MnpzG5Sqc|''Kony 2012''}}
*{{IMDb title|2294697}}
*[http://vimeo.com/38344284 Thank you, KONY 2012 Supporters] on [[Vimeo]]
*{{YouTube|c_Ue6REkeTA|''Kony 2012: Part II&nbsp;– Beyond Famous''}}

{{Invisible Children Inc.}}

{{good article}}

[[:Category:2010s documentary films]]
[[:Category:American documentary films]]
[[:Category:American films]]
[[:Category:Documentary films about child abuse]]
[[:Category:Documentary films about human rights]]
[[:Category:Documentary films about terrorism]]
[[:Category:Documentary films about war]]
[[:Category:Documentary films about Uganda]]
[[:Category:Internet documentary films]]
[[:Category:Invisible Children]]
[[:Category:Lord's Resistance Army]]
[[:Category:Organized events]]
[[:Category:Short documentary films]]
[[:Category:Viral videos]]
[[:Category:YouTube videos]]
[[:Category:Documentary films about child soldiers]]
[[:Category:Documentary films about African politics]]

= "Draft Your article/Finalize your topic/Find your sources" (Hunter Gordon) =
I propose to add a section to the [[Kony 2012]] article regarding the movement's downfall. I feel that this is an important aspect to note about Kony 2012 because of the fact that it dissipated so quickly. Perhaps I will add an image of of a Google Trends search of "Kony 2012" to illustrate the drastic downfall in internet interest. The movement expanded exponentially after the viral video was released, and quickly died as a result of a collective loss of interest and the founders' blunders. These changes will serve to add important chronological details to the article.



[https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/15/world/africa/joseph-kony-mission-ends.html source: ny times]

'''Peer Review (Sofia Rivas)'''

I enjoyed how you decided to add the importance of the vitality of the Kony 2012 movement. I think there is more to be said here about the expansion in popularity of the movement. Maybe you could compare it to how other social movements expanded and different timelines in order to put the timeframe into perspective. I also think a picture graph of google trends would be a good visual for the article, but I don't know if a google trends graph would pass the authentication rules that Wikipedia has on different types of graphics. You might need to create a graph of your own by using reliable statistics in order to own the copyrights to the graph. 
Overall, there is good potential for improvement here. Good work.

:Thank you for the peer review. Perhaps I will compare it to a longer movement such as #OccupyWallStreet. I attribute the graph's usage to Google Trends accordingly— Google has clear citation guidelines [https://support.google.com/trends/answer/4365538?hl=en here] . I can't find anything on Wikipedia that says that google trends data is okay. You say "create a graph of your own" but you must remember that you cannot include your own research on Wikipedia![[User:Huntersgordon|Huntersgordon]] ([[User talk:Huntersgordon|talk]]) 02:30, 4 November 2017 (UTC)

'''Peer Review (Olivia Hauger)''' 

I like your idea of adding to the movement's downfall. The movement was so popular then ending so abruptly. I think you should fully understand what you mean by "collective loss of interest and the founders' blunders." An outline of how specifically these changes will add important chronological details to the article will be helpful. Another thing to remember is to have enough sources to cite properly.

:What exactly is there to understand about the founders' blunders? Do you mean that I should detail what exactly I mean by blunders? Where should I make the citations that you specify?[[User:Huntersgordon|Huntersgordon]] ([[User talk:Huntersgordon|talk]]) 02:30, 4 November 2017 (UTC)

= "Choose Possible Topics" Assignment" =
•[[Media activism]]

This article presents a brief 6-sentence description of Media Activism followed by examples of forms of Media Activism. At the end, a section on "suppression" notes (without a valid citation) that North Korea, Venezuela, and China "have attempted to curtail media activism through a variety of tactics." This should be backed up with a citation and revised for its vagueness in noting "a variety of tactics". Users on the Media Activism's Talk page are primarily concerned with providing extensive examples of Media Activism, however I would see a benefit in researching the history of Media activism. The suppression of Media activism could perhaps be noted as going back to the 18th century, when the United States declared freedom of the press!

•[[Fan activism]]

[[Fan activism]] on Wikipedia is noted as a Stub article, indicating that much more content needs to be added to the topic. The article was written by a student from York University enrolled in the "Public Communication and Political Discourse" course. The article is heavily cited with credible sources including collegiate publications and peer-reviewed journals. Like related subtopics of activism, specifically [[Media activism]], [[Fan activism]] should contain descriptions of specific instances of itself. Fan activism, in the article is noted as being "attributed to the emergence of new media". Perhaps a section titled "New Media" should elaborate on its emergence, with references to that particular citation from which the original statement was made.

•[[Viral Video]]

The Wikiproject Internet culture rates "Viral Video" as being of high importance. Viewing the article's talk page, a few users note that the article should explain the significance of the word "Viral" in the phrase. How is the phrase Viral video related to the spread of a Virus, like a computer or in a body? How does this metaphor parallel the propagation of a popular video? A strikingly interesting section of the article is the "Qualification" section, which discusses how a video is deemed to be viral. An author references the terms coined by YouTuber Kevin Nalty "buzz, parody, and longevity" with little elaboration other than the fact that they "are more complex ways of judging a viral video's views. " Perhaps if this section strives to investigate what qualifies videos as viral, these terms should be properly defined in the article. Maybe a concrete threshold to determine whether a video is viral or not should be established in terms of a variable equation. What about the buzz, parody, and longevity, as the author references, make the video viral?

= Article Evaluation =
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==== Viral Marketing ====
Today I evaluated the [[Viral_marketing|Viral Marketing]] page on Wikipedia, and, though finding it to be compelling, I noticed a few necessary changes to enhance the quality of the content. First of all, an author of the piece asserts a bias that "Viral Marketing" is a concept often misused—— "lots of views or shares, is not enough to qualify as viral". To my experience, this is indeed the nature of anything viral— Kony 2012 was viral just because it has so many views and shares. As was Psy's Gangnam Style. If it is something which I do not understand, perhaps it is necessary that an author elaborates on this point or at least cites a source which explicitly qualifies what amount of shares/views exactly makes something viral. An author wrote "The ultimate goal of marketers interested in creating successful viral marketing programs is to create viral messages that appeal to individuals with high social networking potential (SNP) and that have a high probability of being presented and spread by these individuals and their competitors in their communications with others in a short period of time." and cited it with [http://www.videomarketingbot.com/blog/viral-marketing-understanding-the-latest-catchword/ this] link, which is an outdated citation. It's the number 5 citation. Similarly, the number 26 citation linked to [https://newsroom.fb.com/content/default.aspx?NewsAreaId=22 this] page does not work. These were the first 2 citations which I clicked on and they don't work! What a shame. An author notes, in the History section, that the prominence of the use of the term "Viral Marketing" first arose in the 1990's however throughout the article, propagates it as not the use of the term but instead as a marketing technique. In the history section it should be seen as the use of the concept more than the term — there should be a mentioning of how viral marketing has been used throughout history. [[User:Unclefishbits|Unclefishbits]], in the [[Talk:Viral_marketing|talk]] section notes that "Hotel matchbooks and pens were the earliest forms." Perhaps there are earlier forms than this, in reference to the [[History_of_marketing#Marketing_in_antiquity|Marketing techniques used in the middle ages which could perhaps suffice as an early form of viral marketing]] through the social network that was the Mediterranean Sea. The article is part of WikiProject Business and WikiProject Marketing & Advertising. The article is rated as C-class on the quality scale. Virality is a perhaps a concept that we will become well acquainted with in the class-- This article certainly takes into account the mathematical and theoretical aspects of Viral Marketing however I imagine that we will assume an abstract view on viral campaigns, analyzing how they are propagated and what their ultimate function is.