Was the Ice Bucket Challenge a true donation campaign to help people with Lou Gehrig’s disease?

The summer 2014 Ice Bucket Challenge, a donation campaign to help people with Lou Gehrig’s disease, involved getting doused in ice water or making a donation, but it raises questions about the motivation and sustainability of some participants.

 

If you remember the Ice Bucket Challenge from the summer of 2014, it was a relay donation campaign to educate the public about a rare disease called Lou Gehrig’s disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) and to help those affected by the disease. The rules of the campaign are that one participant posts a video of themselves being doused in ice water on social media, and then nominates three people to continue the relay. The nominees have 24 hours to post a video of themselves being covered in ice water or donate $100 to the ALS Association. The idea is to feel the pain of Lou Gehrig’s disease, which causes muscles to contract, through the touch of ice cold water, and it started in the United States and has spread around the world. In Korea, many people, including celebrities and politicians, participated in the event and contributed to raising awareness of the disease.
The Ice Bucket Challenge is also a prime example of the power of social media. By sharing their videos on social media, participants spread the word to their followers, which in turn made more people aware of the campaign. This viral marketing effect transformed the Ice Bucket Challenge from a simple donation campaign into a global social phenomenon, and celebrity involvement played a huge role in further raising awareness. For example, with celebrities such as Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, and Mark Zuckerberg joining the campaign, the Ice Bucket Challenge has become a global phenomenon.
But does the success of the Ice Bucket Challenge mean only positive things? First of all, the success of the campaign has been positive in that it has brought awareness to the disease and raised money for those affected by ALS. In the early days of the campaign, many people understood the cause and actively participated, but as time went on, more and more people joined simply to follow the trend. But did the people who participated in this campaign really want to help people with ALS? For example, some people participated because they thought it was fun without understanding the purpose of the campaign. Some of the people I saw participated because they thought it was fun to be doused in ice water, without understanding the purpose of the campaign or any awareness of the disease and its sufferers. The nominated person is then pressured to donate $100 if they don’t get covered in ice water, so they get covered in ice water and then nominate three other people. The nominators are unaware of what the $100 will be used for or the meaning of the ice bath, and the cycle repeats. Is it really in line with the purpose of the campaign to have fun without the consciousness of helping people with ALS?

 

 

There have also been cases where people have used the popularity of the campaign to raise awareness or improve their image. This could be a politician participating in the campaign to demonstrate their service or donation, or a celebrity taking the ice in a unique way to create a buzz and raise their profile. These are not donation campaigns for the benefit of patients, but for their own purposes. Is this really a campaign for the right reasons?
And is $100 a donation that the average person can afford to make? One hundred dollars is about 110,000 won, which is a large amount of money for the general public or students to donate without hesitation. Therefore, although the campaign was highly publicized and exposed to the media, did the success of the movie make it a donation campaign for the general public? The large amount of money made it seem like a prank or a celebrity gimmick. Also, the Ice Bucket Challenge campaign was popular at the time, but it has since faded from people’s memories. It’s a shame that the donations and interest were only there at the time, and that it didn’t last.
There are also some critics of the campaign. Some environmentalists have pointed out that the Ice Bucket Challenge wastes a lot of water. This is especially true in areas that are experiencing water shortages. The issue of water waste suggests that it’s not just the Ice Bucket Challenge that needs to consider the environmental impact of various forms of social campaigns. As a result, future donation campaigns need to find ways to be more sustainable and environmentally friendly.
The idea of the Ice Bucket Challenge is a good one, and the act of being doused in ice water is quite engaging. However, it’s unfortunate that the campaign was not carried out as intended, that it was difficult for the public to participate, and that it didn’t last long. If the Ice Bucket Challenge can be used as an example to develop a campaign culture in Korea and the rest of the world, we can achieve more donation participation and create opportunities to raise awareness of various incurable diseases, rare diseases, social issues, etc. In addition, it is necessary to deeply consider how the form and content of the campaign should be harmonized to have a sustainable impact. Going forward, donation campaigns will need to move beyond being a fad, and move toward authentic engagement and sustainable change.