Unless you have been living under a rock for the past three weeks, you have undoubtedly heard about Invisible Children and the #Kony2012 campaign. Invisible Children, a nonprofit organization aimed at raising awareness about the plight of child soldiers in Uganda, has created the most massive and effective viral media campaign in history in an attempt to put pressure on the U.S. government to capture Ugandan rebel leader Joseph Kony. Their viral video “Kony 2012” has more than 100 million views and is hands down the most successful viral video ever. Millions of people have updated their Facebook and Twitter pages to show support for Invisible Children’s cause. It has become impossible to use the Internet and not see the name Joseph Kony.

Criticism of the #Kony2012 project has poured in almost as quickly as support. Critics argue that the Invisible Children documentaries oversimplify the issues, that the organization is misguided and poorly managed, that not enough of the money raised actually goes to Uganda, etc. Criticizing Invisible Children has become the hip thing to do on the Internet. And some of these attacks are definitely valid. However, many critics fail to see the bigger picture.

Invisible Children is not a new organization. They’ve been around since 2004 and produced several documentaries before “Kony 2012.” And regardless of your opinion of the charity and the work they do, it cannot be denied that Jason Russell (the director of Invisible Children) has used social media very effectively to achieve his goals. Invisible Children essentially single-handedly got the “LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act,” a bill about sending U.S. military advisors and foreign aid to Uganda, passed in 2010. They did so by mobilizing thousands of young people in protests across the country, from letter-writing campaigns to sit-ins at congressional offices. Their tactics paid off in a triumph of social media and grassroots organization over congressional apathy. The #Kony2012 campaign is just the final piece of Invisible Children’s campaign.

In a time when congressional gridlock, political apathy, fierce partisanship and lack of political efficacy seem to dominate American politics, Invisible Children has demonstrated that the people of America will not remain silent on issues they’re passionate about forever. The world saw glimpses of the true power of social media in the political realm during Occupy Wall Street and the Keystone XL Pipeline campaign. Whether or not you agree with it, the #Kony2012 campaign is another example of what democracy is going to look like in the Information Age. After years of frustration over promising political initiatives being bogged down in Congress because of gridlock and partisanship, Americans are finally realizing the true meaning of “direct democracy” and forcing their congressional leaders to listen. Invisible Children is a perfect example of a group of people who found a cause that they cared about and brought it to the attention of the greater public in order to get something done about it. Social media has been the spark that has allowed campaigns such as Invisible Children and the Keystone XL Pipeline movement to gain enough traction to force congressmen to listen.

I am not writing this article to say that I support or oppose Invisible Children. I am writing this article to say that I believe the tactics used by Invisible Children to raise awareness and influence government policy are another sign of a new Golden Age in American democracy. Social media is creating a pathway for the voices of ordinary citizens to combine and reach a volume so great that government leaders cannot refuse to listen. If mass media campaigns similar to #Kony2012 were used in support of marriage equality, energy policy, immigration controversies, or any of the dozens of issues facing ordinary Americans today, who knows what American democracy would be capable of?

Will Wilder is a freshman in Arts & Sciences. Write to Will Wilder at [email protected]