by Suzanne Choney

Word of the "Kony 2012" video spread like lightning via social media networks like Twitter and Facebook, reaching "so many Americans in a relatively short period of time," it demonstrated the "critical role social media played, especially for adults under age 30," says a new study.

The huge success of the video about Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony "provided striking evidence that young adults and their elders at times have different news agendas and learn about news in different ways," said the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project in research released Thursday.

"Those ages 18-29 were much more likely than older adults to have heard a lot about the 'Kony 2012' video and to have learned about it through social media than traditional news sources. Indeed, a special analysis of posts in Twitter showed that it was by far the top story on the platform.”

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