Today in our society, narcotizing dysfunction is taking over. The term narcotizing dysfunction refers to a social consequence of mass media. This theory claims that as news about a certain issue surrounds people, they become apathetic to it and substitute being informed about that issue for actual action.
We are surrounded by several sources of information in the media today. Information is nearly effortless to obtain. Log on to your Facebook account, check Twitter, click on your news app and you will be overwhelmed with information about what is going on currently in the world.
Most people will see that the availability to so much information is beneficial to the population and it is. The problem though is that as people become knowledgeable about and start to discuss worldly issues, they believe that they are helping the solution.
It has become clear that our generation is confused between knowing something and actually doing something about it. Being informed and concerned for a cause is not a replacement for action.
The perfect example of narcotizing dysfunction has just emerged in America. In the past two weeks, it has become almost impossible to avoid the name Joseph Kony. If any of you have a Facebook or Twitter account, you have seen the Kony 2012 campaign flood your news feed.
Let me first start off by saying, I am not here to bash Invisible Children and their cause to prevent Kony from destroying these children’s lives, but I do see a problem with how this campaign has come to fruition.
Joseph Kony has been known in the media for years. “60 Minutes” and several other television networks have done programs uncovering what Kony is doing in Uganda. In fact, the United States has even sent troops into Uganda to help find this man. But did you have any clue who this man was before Kim Kardashian and some of our other favorite celebrities tweeted about the Kony 2012 video?
Once the Kony 2012 video was published into the mass media world, it spread like a wildfire. Millions of people have watched the 30-minute video in pursuit of raising awareness of Joseph Kony and making a difference in the hunt for him.
Again, narcotizing dysfunction has taken over. We can know everything we want about Joseph Kony and the horrible things he has done to the children in Uganda, but knowing what he has done isn’t going to stop him. It takes action. It takes more than changing your profile picture on Facebook to the campaign ad.
Invisible Children does provide people a way to take action. They have set up kits with posters, bracelets and information on Kony 2012. As well, they have set aside a night, April 20, in which people will blackout the cities that they live in with Kony posters in order to make him “famous.” Invisible Children is also encouraging people to write messages to our political leaders and celebrities for their support on this campaign.
Although I may not completely agree with this approach, I applaud the people that are getting off of their couches and making a conscious effort to this cause. This is one way of actual action towards an issue.
We are forgetting that knowledge is not action. Knowing about someone or something is not going to solve the world’s problem. But as the popularity of technology and mass media rises, action has been replaced.