‘Kony2012’ movement through a system of systems engineering lens

The `Kony2012' movement set the record for the fastest growing viral video in history. In 30 minutes it turned many thousands of people around the world, with little to no prior knowledge of the case, into political activists. The mission of the system was to create autonomous and geographically diverse groups that would perform various tasks in order to place pressure on decision makers to take action against Joseph Kony, wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court (ICC). Despite some initial success the system was fatally flawed and the emergent response of individuals `against' the movement lead to self-destruction. Lessons that can be learn from the `Kony2012' movement include; system transparency, garnering mass public response, and influencing the online community.