als ice bucket challenge
I was only 11 when I received my first chain letter. I read it and ignored it. Even at that age, I could see that the letter served no purpose. Whilst many of my school chums passed these ridiculous messages on, I was the badass, who always broke the chain. Recently I have played the badass again and let me tell you why.
The success of the Ice Bucket Challenge campaign was fundamentally reliant on the natural human impulse to engage and partake in social causes, the ever evolving human need to be a part of a global community and the viral exposure that social media facilitates.
Due to our increasingly mediatised lives, we are craving ways to relate to the world around us which feel meaningful. Allowing ourselves to become part of a movement allows us the illusion of being more involved with the charity than simply handing over money.
Between July 29 and August 29, the ALS Association received $100million... more than five times what it received in the whole of 2012... here's a thing: those huge figures were not the result of a well-planned, well-executed and well-targeted campaign. They were the result of millions of people giving up a tiny amount of time, making a small effort and donating a modest sum.
