The new political norm: flash-mob activism
OMAR EL AKKAD — TECHNOLOGY REPORTER
Published Friday, Mar. 09, 2012 8:57PM EST
Last updated Friday, Mar. 09, 2012 11:57PM EST
But as a marketing campaign, Kony2012 has surpassed all expectations. More importantly, the response to the campaign, especially from hordes of younger Web users who may never have previously heard of Mr. Kony, illustrates a new political norm, in which hot-button topics seem to take hold in the public consciousness with little or no prior warning – a flash mob of activism.
“For a lot of people, this is going to be their first [taste] of activism,” said Rob Cottingham of Social Signal, a Vancouver-based social-media strategy firm. “If you start reading the tweets and comments, they’re filled with the kind of enthusiasm you’re seeing from people who are becoming engaged politically for the first time.”
…[T]he Kony2012 phenomenon likely marks the end of an age when politicians had plenty of lead time before an issue exploded into the mainstream.
“Those days are probably gone,” Mr. Cottingham said. “For a lot of decision makers and a lot of people working in the field, hoping to have control of the agenda … is no longer a viable dream.”
I have deep reservations about the #StopKony campaign and Invisible Children’s approach. But their ability to mobilize is undeniable. And the question for organizations that work with a more viable, integrated theory of change is what lessons they can draw from that viral success for their own efforts – and how they may need to change to put those lessons into practice.
