If you’ve spent any time on social media lately chances are you’ve probably noticed a lot of celebrities who have been drenching themselves with buckets of ice cold water. Perhaps you’ve been wondering what it’s all about? Well, it’s called the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge and it’s taken social networking by storm…
The basic idea is that you endure the challenge, nominate your friends to do the same, raise awareness for a good cause and donate what you can to the charity. ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) is also known as Lou Gherig’s Disease or Motor Neurone Disease and it is the condition that Stephen Hawking suffers from – it causes muscle atrophy; difficulty breathing, speaking and swallowing; and is characterised by erratic muscle movement. It is a nasty disease and very deserving of awareness being raised.
Celebrities getting on board
So far, fans have been able to see the likes of Robert Downey Jr, Bill Gates, Taylor Swift, Chris Pratt, and Tom Hiddleston undertake the challenge, amongst many others. Since it all started, the challenge has raised $15.6 million with that total rising all the time. All in all, it’s a clever scheme which manages to successfully raise awareness and money for a very good cause.
Social media often comes under criticism for promoting silliness and following the ridiculous ‘Neknominate’ fiasco earlier this year, in which young people nominated one another to quickly drink alcohol and perform dangerous stunts, resulting in the death of some participants. Many may have misconstrued this latest craze as being yet another example of the same. However, the ALS bucket challenge is harmless and fun whilst also being extremely successful.
Social media has played a huge part in this with videos being shared, liked, and retweeted across dozens of networks – ensuring the success of the challenge in raising as much money as it already has. Equally, the challenge and social media has provided fans with yet another opportunity to seek out and enjoy their favourite celebrity being a ‘normal’ person.
So, has your favourite celebrity taken up the call of the ice bucket yet? Why not start it up with your friends and raise some money too!
