Ice Bucket Challenge

The Ice Bucket Challenge, sometimes called the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, is an activity involving dumping a bucket of ice water on one's head or donating to the ALS Association in the United States. It went viral throughout social media during the Northern Hemisphere summer of 2014.^[1][2]

The challenge dares nominated participants to be filmed having a bucket of ice water poured on their heads. A common stipulation is that nominated people have 24 hours to comply or forfeit by way of a charitable financial donation.^[3]

Origin

The origins of the idea of dumping cold water on one's head to raise money for charity are unclear and have been attributed to multiple sources. During the Northern-Hemisphere winter of 2013–14, a challenge of unknown origin often called the "Cold Water Challenge" became popular on social media in areas of the Northern United States. The task usually involved the option of either donating money to cancer research or having to jump into cold water.^[4]

One version of the challenge, which took place in New Zealand as early as July 7, 2014, involved dousing participants with cold water and then donating to a charity; for example, the Auckland Division of the Cancer Society^[5]. As with similar challenges, it was usually filmed so footage can be shared online.

The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation popularized the "Cold Water Challenge" in early 2014 to raise funds as an unsanctioned spin-off of the polar plunge most widely used by Special Olympics as a fundraiser. ^[6] On May 20, 2014 the Washington Township, New Jersey fire department posted a video on YouTube participating in the "Cold Water Challenge" with fire hoses and members of the department were subsequently punished for utilizing fire department equipment without permission. ^[7]

The challenge was popularized in the United States on June 30, 2014, when personalities of the program Morning Drive, which airs weekdays on Golf Channel, televised the social-media phenomenon, and performed a live, on-air ice bucket challenge.^[8] Soon after, the challenge was brought to mainstream audiances when television anchor Matt Lauer did the Ice Bucket challenge on July 15, 2014 on NBC's The Today Show at Greg Norman's request.^[9][10] On the same day, golfer Chris Kennedy did the challenge and then challenged his cousin Jeanette Senerchia of Pelham, NY, whose husband, Anthony, has had ALS for 11 years. A day later she did the challenge while her 6-year-old daughter filmed her in front of their house. Senerchia's network on Facebook connected with Pat Quinn, a 31-year-old in Yonkers, NY, who was diagnosed with ALS in March 2013. Quinn called upon his friends and family. Soon, his whole network was posting challenges, including family in Florida, friends in Ireland and Greece, and a bar full of locals, which was broadcast on local television.^{[citation needed]}

Quinn's Facebook network overlapped with Massachusetts resident and former Boston College baseball player Pete Frates, who has ALS and began posting about the challenge on Twitter.^[11] In the following weeks, many celebrities and notable individuals also took the challenge.

The Ice Bucket Challenge has also become popular in the United Kingdom through social media, with participants doing it for the Motor Neurone Disease Association and Macmillan Cancer Support.

The President of the United States, Barack Obama, was challenged by Ethel Kennedy but declined, opting to contribute to the campaign with a donation of $100.^[12] Justin Bieber,^[13] LeBron James,^[14] and "Weird" Al Yankovic^[15] also challenged President Obama after completing the Ice Bucket Challenge.

Rules

Within 24 hours of being challenged, participants are to video record themselves in continuous footage. First, they are to announce their acceptance of the challenge followed by pouring ice into a bucket of water. The bucket is then to be lifted overhead and poured over the participant's head. Then the participant can call out a challenge to other people.

In one version of the challenge, the participant is expected to donate $10 if they have poured the ice water over their head and donate $100 if they have not.^[16] In another version, dumping the ice water over the participant's head is done in lieu of any donation, which has led to some criticisms of the challenge being a form of slacktivism.^[17]

Legacy

In the Northern-Hemisphere summer of 2014, the Ice Bucket Challenge went viral on social media and became a pop culture phenomenon, particularly in the United States, with numerous celebrities, politicians, athletes, and everyday Americans posting videos of themselves online and on TV participating in the event.^[3][12] According to The New York Times people shared more than 1.2 million videos on Facebook between June 1 and August 13 and mentioned the phenomenon more than 2.2 million times on Twitter since July 29.^[18] Mashable called the phenomenon "the Harlem Shake of the summer".^[9]

Prior to the widespread internet sensation of the Ice Bucket Challenge, public awareness of the disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) was relatively limited; it is often referred to as "Lou Gehrig's disease", after baseball great Lou Gehrig who publicly revealed his diagnosis. Years later, renowned English theoretical physicist and author Stephen Hawking again increased awareness of the motor neuron disease.

After the Ice Bucket Challenge went viral on social media, public awareness and charitable donations for ALS soared. On August 18, 2014, the ALS Association announced that it had received $15.6 million in donations compared to $1.8 million during the same time period (July 29 to August 18) in the prior year. These donations came from both existing donors and 307,598 new donors to the Association.^[19]

Steve-O questioned the campaign, suggesting that celebrities' videos generally forgot to share donation information for ALS charities, and that the $15 million dollars in funds is insignificant, given the star power of the celebrities participating. He noted that, of the videos he viewed, only Charlie Sheen and Bill Gates noted that the point is to donate money.^[20]

According to the Special Broadcasting Service in Australia, the phenomenon has been implicated in contributing to moral licensing.^[21]

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, people have also been doing the challenge for the Motor Neurone Disease Association. The Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association is the only national charity in England, Wales and Northern Ireland focused on MND care, research and campaigning.^[22] MND Scotland provides care and support to everyone affected by Motor Neurone Disease in Scotland.^[23]

This challenge has inspired other charities in the UK to get involved, including Macmillan Cancer Support, who are calling it the Macmillan Ice Bucket Challenge.^[24]

The challenge has attracted some criticism in the press as being "the latest self-congratulatory celebrity fad".^[25]

Corey Griffin

On August 16, 2014, Corey Griffin, an avid supporter of the ice bucket challenge, drowned in a diving accident, after a good-will dinner on the island of Nantucket, Massachusetts. Griffin is credited with helping to raise $100,000 for his close friend Pete Frates who suffers from the disease.^[26]