abstract
Using the ideas of social media activism and organizational learning to guide analysis, this paper explores Invisible Children, Inc.’s social-mediated response to the humanitarian crisis in Central and East Africa, the organizational crisis these responses created, and how the organization responded to these different types of crisis via social media. Key findings include describing their humanitarian crisis response as a “social experiment,” Invisible Children’s personalization of response on social media to their organizational crisis, and the increased transparency Invisible Children demonstrated during and after the crisis. The results of this study demonstrate how social media have the ability to play a key role in increasing awareness about an important humanitarian cause, yet can also threaten the reputation and legitimacy of the organization behind the social-mediated message.
6. Discussion
How humanitarian and organizational crises are communicated about matters. The fact that Kony 2012 became, at the time, the most viral video in history in only a few days demonstrates the power of social media, and how these channels can help increase awareness about a humanitarian campaign. IC’s efforts with social media helped publicize issues that are happening abroad, in order to evoke compassion and support from viewers in other countries such as the United States, mobilize action, and move toward policy change (Höijer, 2003; Kogen, 2009).
