The Drum Beat 609 - Popular Social Media, Development, Kony

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It was hard to miss the global KONY video and debate. Reported as having 86 million views on YouTube (a record for a development theme?) the 30-minute video shone a very bright light on the activities of Joseph Kony, the leader of Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army and its treatment of children. This was communication. It was media. There was the large scale use of social media. It was certainly controversial. Significant public conversation ensued. But was this good development practice? Was it effective? And whether it was "bad", "good" or "something else" what can we all learn from this global scale experience?

Riona McCormack from REPSSI in South Africa submitted a blog on this theme that attracted a lot of attention - a large number of page views, tweets, "likes", comments and ratings. This issue of The Drum Beat is focused on that dialogue amongst The Drum Beat network on what we can learn from the "KONY video" global explosion. Only a few excerpts follow. More can be seen below the Blog and the Poll.

If you wish to share a blog through The CI/Drum Beat process just send Warren the text - email wfeek@comminit.com


 

1.    Riona's Blog: "Lessons learned from the KONY 2012 campaign" - Riona McCormack 

"'KONY 2012' has infiltrated every major news outlet and online forum, and ignited a storm of commentary among Facebookers and Tweeters of all ages. However, there is a side to this public debate that has been relatively under-explored: and that is the lessons for media and communications professionals, and specifically those of us working in the development sector. Here are five important lessons that we can draw from this campaign: Emotion sells: Empathy, sorrow, joy, anger...".

Please review and add your rating (the stars) of and comment on Riona's blog: click here.


 

"LIKE?" - If you are comfortable doing this please "Like" this blog to your Facebook account. See the right margin: click here.



 

2.    Poll: "The KONY 2012 campaign and debate will improve development effectiveness on all issues"

Agree, disagree, not sure? Results at present are very close! Please vote and comment: click here.

 

3. Poll Comment: "A Ugandan's Perspective on Kony 2012" - Anonymous

Excerpt: "I think the video was too simplistic: You can not get a 4 year old to comment on an issue calling for a global action! Why wouldn't, for example, a Ugandan soldier who has been fighting for the past 26 years comment on the video?  In my opinion the video  does not depict even 5% of the situation on ground."

Please reply to this comment and add your vote to the Poll: click here.


4.    Blog Comment: "Yes we really need answers" - Nyasha Mboti

Excerpt: "To put it more crudely: what is so special/unique about Kony's message? You see, I just don't get it - and it is important that, for purposes of development communication, that we start to get it. Perhaps there is more than meets the eye in the Kony campaign. But whatever it is, I do not know yet. Perhaps time will tell."

Please reply to Nyasha's ideas: click here.


5. Poll Comment: "Improved Communication or Public Relations Nightmare?" - Shari Cohen

Excerpt: "From the get go, I was turned off by this guy's approach to this issue. What do I object to in this video? 1. I see a manipulation to include more of the film maker and his own son, when he and his son are totally irrelevent to this actual issues at hand."

Please reply to this perspective and add your vote to the Poll: click here.


6. Blog Comment: "Targeted Communication" - Adam Rogers

Excerpt: "The Kony 2012 phenomenon has been successful precisely because it was targeted at a specific audience, and it was done so with the strategic intent of producing an outcome along the lines of what has manifested. The target and intent were..."

Please reply to Adam's analysis: click here.


7. Blog Comment: "Surely the jury is out" - Bill Hamblett

Excerpt: "i have worked with theatre and human rights in Uganda and met some affected by Koni. Knowledge of his outrage does induce you to want to act and respond. The processes available to directly help are frustratingly remote. No wonder 9 years goes by on a promise from one individual to another. Is this the future for solving international or large scale outrages...?"

Please reply to Bill's perspective: click here.


 

"TWEET" - Please do Tweet this blog to your Twitter account. See the right margin click here under the most recent tweets.



 

8. Blog Comment: "Ladies and gentlemen, Let" - Anonymous

Excerpt: "Let us not use institutional / individual agenda to insult, re-awake or draw conclusions for the affected people of Northern Uganda....The Kony 2012 Campaign cannot lead to development....It is unfair to directly merge the Kony issue with development of Northern Uganda. What we should be looking is development of the Northern Uganda region..."

Please reply to this assessment: click here.


9. Blog Comment: "Lessons innumerated" - Anonymous

Excerpt: "The lessons innumerated are all worth any development communicator's consideration. I agree with all five lessons in general. I think the most important lesson is that any campaign should illicit action, debate and further query from the readers. Even those who may not agree with the 'lessons' should be invited to share..."

Please reply to this insight: click here.


10. Blog Comment: "Very well put. We need to" - Anonymous

Excerpt: "We need to think very, very carefully about how we engage people's emotions, to ensure (a) we don't compromise the very mission we are trying to gain visibility for, and (b) we actually acheive what we want from it. Notoriety alone is not very useful..."

Please reply to this challenge: click here.


11. Poll Comment: "Negative publicity" - J Levy

Excerpt: "Negative publicity for development effectiveness, meaning the characterising of organisations as being poorly informed outsiders and/or as self-interested publicity and money seekers, hasn't previously done much to improve effectiveness. A question might be: "Can social networking tools improve development effectiveness?" This campaign and its debate show how much attention can be generated by, pardon the expression, sensationalism."

Please reply to this perspective and add your vote to the Poll here.

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This Drum Beat was written by Warren Feek.

The Editor of The Drum Beat is Kier Olsen DeVries.

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