Li Yanli (Beijing Youth Daily): The ice bucket challenge should be put to an end.
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.
Serious scholars may analyze the communication, sociology and marketing theories behind the challenge, but to ordinary netizens around the world, it was simply temporary amusement for a good purpose at its height. As the activity gained traction, however, people's understanding of the purpose behind the challenge became vaguer and vaguer. When participants were pouring buckets of icy water over themselves, how many understood the symptoms and prevalence of ALS? How many knew the hidden pain sufferers feel?
Recently, people taking the challenge have uploaded videos done as pranks. The media have gossiped about famous movie stars' physiques. The public has argued over whether or not a celebrity's ice cubes were real. But more and more, the challenge's ultimate goal—collecting donations for ALS research—has been forgotten. Perhaps now is the time to dump out the water, put away the video camera, and let this fad disappear with dignity.