Contemporary social movements such as the Arab Spring and Kony 2012 use the Internet and social media as potential tools for change. But why are some more successful than others? This article argues that when the media sees the potential for change, they “anticipate” (Richard Grusin) its possibilities and make that change even more possible in their coverage. On the other hand, existing stories that are more reactionary do not benefit from the same new visibility and remain static. In other words, our media – not just social media, but also news agencies – play an important role in shaping current events. I will compare and contrast the unfolding history of the Arab Spring and the little change regarding Kony 2012, as concrete examples. Both of these events were propelled by something we use in our daily lives: the Internet. The network of connections available to the Internet has been able to bring about these two social changes not only in our home countries but also throughout the world. With the rise of social media and increasing media coverage, the Arab Spring and Kony 2012 were able to show how much power the Internet can have over change in the world. Margaret Mead once said, never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. In fact, it's the only thing that ever existed. These words are true for many different reasons, because change cannot happen without the idea, because with the idea comes what could happen and how things could turn out. Richard Grusin's work helped define statements like this by narrowing down to the creation of a term called premediation. He claims that premediation “explains what he sees as a confluence of cultural logics between different media sources.” In order to... middle of paper ......ture-of-social-media-in-revolutionary-movements>.O'Donnell, Catherine. A new study quantifies social media use during the Arab Spring. washington.edu, September 12, 2011. Web. May 6, 2014. .Ruge, TMS. "'Kony 2012' is not a revolution. New York Times, March 14, 2012. Internet. May 5, 2014. .Safranek, Rita. The Emerging Role of Social Media in Political and Regime Change. Discovery Guide, March 2012. Internet. May 5, 2014. Waters, KONY: The Effect of Social Media, March 19, 2012. 5, 2014. .