How The Kony 2012 Video Spread Quickly Worldwide

MIAMI (CBS4) – The co-founder of the organization behind the Kony 2012 video used YouTube to thank the more than 50 million people who had seen the viral video.

"Wow. The last few days, we have not slept, because the revolution has just begun," said Jason Russell, co-founder of Invisible Children.

Few had heard the name Joseph Kony until this week, when an Internet video went viral.

Kony is one of the most wanted men in the world and is said to be responsible for atrocities in Central Africa. Now filmmakers are calling for his arrest by the end of this year, that's why the video is called Kony 2012.

For half an hour, viewers of the online video learn about a Ugandan boy named Jacob and his fight for survival.

"My brother tried to escape then they killed him using panga. They cut his neck," Jacob says in the video.

The group behind the video, Invisible Children, says the mission is to make Kony's name known  worldwide. Kony is the rebel leader of the Lord's Resistance Army, or IRA, in Uganda. He's accused of kidnapping as many as 30,000 children in the past 26 years.

"Turning the girls into sex slaves and the boys into child soldiers … and he forces them to kill their own parents," the video's narrator says.

Celebrities have helped spread the message. On Tuesday at 9:53 a.m., Oprah tweeted about it. Then at 10:36, Justin Bieber mentioned it. Singer Rihanna tweeted that night. On Wednesday, it was Sean Combs and Ryan Seacrest. By Thursday, the video had been watched 50 million times.

"I dont know anyone who doesn't hate Joseph Kony," said actress Angelina Jolie.

"As soon as you see that video, you pause, and you stop, and you take it all in. Then you go, okay, I want to do something about it," said Joaquin Ortiz, who volunteered to lead the effort in South Florida. He runs a separate non-profit, Conscious Acts of Kindness.

"We basically search out different causes all over the world," he said.

And this cause now has a huge following.

One 12-year-old boy, Julian, told us his 6th grade class at Carver Middle School had been talking about it all day.

Even Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is tweeting about it.

There is some criticism. Invisible Children took in $13.8 million last year and spent $8.9 million. Just $3.3 million went to programs in Central Africa. The group says producing the videos is expensive.

Friday morning, on CBS This Morning, the group's Director of Ideology said most of the money goes to advocacy and some work in Uganda.

"And what we do there is we put kids in school, we rebuild schools that have been destroyed by the war, we give these kids mentors because they've lost family members to the war," said Jedidiah Jenkins, Director of Ideology for Invisible Children.

Meanwhile, in South Florida, Ortiz hopes more people spread a message of freedom, for free, using social networks.

"If we can prove to ourselves that this is doable, what next?" asked Ortiz.

The video promotes a special overnight event on April 20th called "Cover the Night," where people all over the world will post Kony 2012 posters anywhere possible.

You can watch the full video here.