Invisible Children and Mass Media

Mass communications is the term used to describe the academic study of the various means by which individuals and entities relay information through mass media to large segments of the population at the same time. It is usually understood to relate to newspaper and magazine publishing, radio, television and film, as these are used both for disseminating news and for advertising (Wikipedia).




The website for Invisible Children has many techniques through which information is distributed to the viewer. There are many videos, live chats, and constant new uploads and news, which ensure a broad audience. The filmmakers elicit  an emotional response by making their videos full of pity and fear for the Anacholi children who are massacred and abducted in Uganda, and fear over what the LRA (Lords Resistance Army) will do in the future. The combination of these elements gives the audience a sense of urgency, prompting them to sign up with the organization or helping by donating 3 dollars a week,  joining the "Schools for Schools" program, and signing the petition for Joseph Koney's arrest.
In addition, the movie "The Rescue" shows how people in America, New Zealnd, Scotland, and other countries (a total of about a hundred cities) all join to protest Africa's longest lasting war by getting "abducted." The most important idea is that even though most of the people who protested had never been in Africa, the power of mass communication encouraged them to gather and protest a cause. When they were in Unganda the creators of the Invisible Children created videos that were very powerful and later on got attention by creating a movie.
By choosing celebrities to resuse the "abducted" participants is  a very smart way to attract the world news, because they are so high profile. The abducted gathered at Harpo Studios and Oprah responded, thus attracting a huge audience.

In my opinion, one of the most effective ways to protect the children in Uganda is to create a permanent news agency that reports on all the children who are abducted and organize a union of countries in support of the children of Africa. This union can have meetings and the countries' representatives will decide how to improve the current situation.