‘Kony 2012’ backer shuts down

Written by
Photo via Flickr by tian2992/ Creative Commons

On tonight’s Which Way, LA? We talk about the end of Invisible Children, the San Diego organization behind the viral campaign to stop Joseph Kony, the warlord behind the brutal Lord’s Resistance Army.

You might remember the video:

Earlier this week, Invisible Children announced it was closing its doors due to a lack of funding and many are asking if the whole effort was futile.

From the Washington Post:

Flash forward a little more than two years later. Joseph Kony is still free. The LRA still exists. And, as per a major announcement on Monday, Invisible Children has been unable to get enough funding to continue its efforts and will wind down its operations. “Stop Kony” has itself stopped.

The Kony 2012 signaled a sea change in online activism. Everyone is much more savvy now about getting the message out to as many as possible. But does awareness lead to action? #Bringbackourgirls did not bring back the missing Nigerian girls kidnapped by the terrorist group Boko Haram. But, the Ice Bucket Challenge did raise $115 million for ALS research.