How Online Challenges Can be Used to Support Good Causes

How Online Challenges Can be Used to Support Good Causes How challenges work Invitation > Perform the challenge > Upload content > Invite others by tagging Why do people set them up?1 Raising awareness about an issue Fundraising for social causes Increasing their social media interaction Gaining attention Having fun Engaging with customers of their brand Creating a community of like-minded people #ChallangeAccepted 2014 ALS Ice Bucket Challenge enabled The ALS Association to increase its annual funding for research around the world by 187 percent2. Some good examples ALS #icebucketchallenge #30dayfitness #NoMakeupSelfie #WomenSupportingWomen Why do people participate in them and share them?3 They find them entertaining. They think the content is touching. They laugh at the funny reactions of the people doing the challenge. They feel they have to participate after being invited by a friend. They are excited about mutual activities with friends. They get competitive to beat the achievements of previous participants. They hear that everyone is talking about the challenge. They want to raise awareness about a social cause. Potential repercussions Some of them can pose physical threats to your wellbeing. You might be supporting an underlying cause (which you may not believe in) without realizing. There might be covert beneficiaries from the posts you are sharing. You might change your opinion about an issue, but your online reputation would indicate otherwise. You might share personal details about your life, such as your home, with everyone. Your data might be used for development of artificial intelligence without your knowledge. Sometimes challenges can be used for bullying others or embarrassing them. Before taking part in a challenge consider The position the challenge would put you in If you want to share your participation publicly If you are not caving into of peer pressure If the acts required in the challenge could cause physical harm Even if it is intended to support a good cause, a viral online challenge can become dangerous if you don’t practice it diligently and thoughtfully. Consider the impact of your actions on your life, your family, and our society. References 1. Dangerous Online Challenges, https://www.betterinternetforkids.eu/web/portal/practice/awareness/detail?articleId=4696122 2. Ice Bucket Challenge Dramatically Accelerated the Fight against ALS, https://www.als.org/stories-news/ice-bucket-challenge-dramatically-accelerated-fight-against-als 3. Decoding Social Media Challenges. Why Are They So Effective?, https://inkagency.lt/en/decoding-social-media-challenges-why-are-they-so-effective/