I doubt there are many people left on the internet that haven't seen the Kony 2012 video - it has been viewed over 70 million times, and has jammed up Twitter and Facebook. I am not here to weigh in on that issue, I feel like most of the things that need to be said, have been said. I am, however, here to talk about this new trend of arm chair activism. We have all seen it, someone shares a link or a video, or updates their Facebook status to something foolish about the color of their bra, or cartoon characters. And then that person sits back feeling pretty damn good about themselves. The Kony video is just the latest in this trend, people keep remarking how powerful social media can be for affecting change or helping a cause. And yeah, this could be true, but let's not confuse sharing a link and actually taking action or making a donation. My friend Joel Kelly has a great post on this growing problem.
Oh and before you say it, I know, I know, you sharing that video is helping to create awareness. Well done, look at you go. But here is the thing, most of time these issues don't need awareness, they need action or money. Clicking the like button, or retweeting something to your followers doesn't count as taking a stand or action. If you would like to make a difference here is what you need to do -
Volunteer - that's right, this means you have to step away from Facebook and go outside
Make a donation - open up that wallet and dig deep, most of these organizations need financial support so they can keep doing their jobs
Take a look around your community there are so many organizations right here in Halifax that could use your support - so let's all ease up the like button and start making a contribution to the many organizations that need our help.
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