Ice bucket list: UOIT researcher explores how social media harnesses power of the Internet

When history ultimately looks back at 2014, there will undoubtedly be many events the year will be remembered for. One early candidate for a top-20 list might be the social media phenomenon billed as the Ice Bucket Challenge (IBC).

The IBC’s premise is simple: dump a pail of ice water on someone’s head. In most cases, the purpose of the challenge is to promote awareness of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease) and encourage people to make charitable donations in support of ALS research. Participants have a video of their big splash recorded and posted online. They also dare, or challenge, others to follow suit. Nominees who don’t comply within 24 hours are asked to make a donation.

The ‘viral’ success of the IBC has prompted media interest in the University of Ontario Institute of Technology’s Dr. Jonathan Obar, whose research focuses on the impact digital technologies have on civil liberties, civic engagement and the inclusiveness of public culture.

“When you answer questions about viral videos, you should focus on both consumption and contribution behaviours,” says Dr. Obar, Assistant Professor, UOIT Faculty of Social Science and Humanities. “People want to consume the videos because they're fun, their family members and friends are in them and because the topic is trending. People want to contribute for similar reasons, but also because their family members have nominated them, and because people are looking for fun and innovative ways to contribute user-generated content that will draw attention.”

Journalists from CBC Radio One, USA Today and the eFM Radio’s Morning Show in Seoul, Korea have recently called upon Dr. Obar to share the findings of his research into how activist groups and advocacy organizations engage with digital media technologies.

“It’s more than fair to say the Ice Bucket Challenge has gone viral, but interestingly, the trend has drawn criticism as much as it has applause,” he says.

Some IBC critics say people should be donating money instead of making videos. Others argue that when participants focus so heavily on being creative in their splash videos, the message becomes clouded and the ALS cause isn’t treated with respect.

“Other critics have called the IBC ‘slacktivism’ – an online behaviour that requires little time and effort, and has little political or social impact,” says Dr. Obar. “Bear in mind the ALS Association in the United States last year raised US$2 million without the challenge – this year the amount is more than US$100 million and counting. ALS Canada is also enjoying a huge donation boost and calls the exposure of the IBC videos ‘invaluable’. More than any other previous ALS awareness and fundraising strategy, the challenge has been successful. To me, this suggests the IBC is not slacktivism.”

Dr. Obar says one of the oldest criticisms of new technologies, and one that has consistently been flawed, is that they should be feared – because they supposedly ruin older, ‘better’ ones and render them obsolete.

“More often than not, what we get is supplementation (people using multiple technologies at the same time), not substitution. The reason? New technologies don’t solve every problem and they don’t meet every demand. Video hasn’t totally killed the radio star, because you shouldn’t watch TV in your car. TV also hasn’t totally killed the movies, because people like going out to the theatre. The same notion applies to these slacktivism concerns. Is the IBC stopping the ALS groups from traditional strategies like knocking on doors, sending out mailers, creating public service announcements and organizing rallies? Not at all.”

On the question of whether this is the future of activism, Dr. Obar says organizations tell him they will always focus on what works in driving attention to their cause.

“The complicating factor is that social media doesn't come with an instruction manual, making the act of diverting resources to supplementary strategies quite intimidating. That being said, those that can figure out how to harness the power of the network will surely benefit from the greatest technology of abundance the world has ever known.”

Selected research publications by Dr. Jonathan Obar:

• Advocacy 2.0: An Analysis of How Advocacy Groups in the United States Perceive and Use Social Media as Tools for Facilitating Civic Engagement and Collective Action
• Canadian Advocacy 2.0: An Analysis of Social Media Adoption and Perceived Affordances by Advocacy Groups Looking to Advance Activism in Canada
• Activating the Fifth Estate: Bill C-30 and the Digitally-Mediated Public Watchdog

Dr. Obar will also soon publish Strategies for Media Reform: International Perspectives (through Fordham University Press).