Having rapidly spread across the globe from the United States in recent months, numerous people from politicians to actors to children have taken part. It was designed as a game that spread via personal networks, emanating ever outward in waves. At first, people were very receptive to it; now that the fad is nearing its end, taking part has become passé. The acclaim and appreciation in the beginning have faded to a questioning of participants' ethics. Even though the challenge has raised a considerable amount of money for charity, many think this sort of social media promotion is self-centered and only temporarily influential, a typical characteristic of our new-media era.