Matt's Media Midterm

Invisible Children, like other NGOs, would be nothing without support. One of the most efficient and fastest ways to gain this support is through the spread of mass media and communication. Almost half of their website is dedicated to media and news about the organization. The one video on the website that struck me was the Roadie Application video. This message the video sent was  something like "hey you, here's what I'm doing to make a change, and you can do the same thing." The roadie video was an invitation to join the movement to end Joseph Kony's child soldiers, and it was all a piece of the mass of communication coming from Invisible Children.

The amount of media that Invisible Children used in their documentary of "Rescue Me" was also amazing. They branched out to local news stations to spread the word - that in itself is mass media! On top of that, they got moguls from various cities to increase awareness and in the world. They even got Oprah, one of the most influential women in the world, to put in a good word. The traveling buses of Rescue Riders was another form of mass communication, even if media was not directly involved. The coming together of these 100 cities and 100,000 people really demonstrates the power of mass communications through social networking sites.

But as we all know, more can be done to help the cause. Invisible Children is working on a project now, to get a bill passed by Congress, that would end Joseph Kony's reign in Uganda. They need to rally support for this bill so it can be sent through the Senate and the House of Representatives in order to arrive on President Obama's desk. We all have to share our voices through mass communication and media, and together, we can make a difference. Together, we are free.