Why Social Media Spawned the Passive Activist

At the beginning of March, a viral campaign took over our social spheres, and in the span of less than a week the KONY 2012 video put out by the advocacy group Invisible Children raked in nearly 80 million views. This phenomenon is incredibly interesting as it proposes a question in regards to us as the viewer, and our current interpretation of response. How can a 30 minute video rise to the top on an global video viewing service nearly overnight? In regards to the video, a new buzzword has reached the lips of those questioning not only its influence on the cause, but also its influence on ourselves and they way we as a generation have come to be analyzed. Passive activism is what the term implies, and essentially what the team behind the video used as a strategy. 

Has the snack media that encompasses most of our daily digital behavior begun to comment on our behavior and our accessibility to information? Well, if 80 million watch a YouTube video in 6 days does any good come from it?