The 2014 Ice Bucket challenge has taken social media by storm once again, this time under a different name and a different cause. The University of South Carolina (USC) Speak Your Mind Ice Bucket challenge surfaced on TikTok and Instagram with the mission of sparking conversations about mental health and raising funds for the organization. The popularity of this trend has raised questions about its effectiveness; is it supporting its intended cause or worsening mental health struggles with performative videos?
The campaign was launched on Mar.31 by the USC Mental Illness Needs Discussion (MIND) club. The trend requires the participant to record and post a video doing the ice bucket challenge, nominate two to five people to complete the trend, and donate using an online link. Due to its collaborative nature, the challenge has spread rapidly with over 211,000 submissions on Instagram posts alone (not including Instagram stories, TikTok posts, or videos on private accounts).
As of Apr. 24, the non-profit has raised $328,877, possibly revealing that some of participants are executing the challenge but not contributing financially. While the trend maybe spreading awareness, it’s failing to
reach its fundraising goals.
Another aspect of the trend that questions its success is that it is fueled by nominations. Many with poor mental health may not have two friends to invite to participate or friends to nominate them, exacerbating these struggles and reinforcing these societal issue that the trend is intended to tackle.
Although the challenge was created with good intentions, it is important that participants recall the purpose of USC MIND and how they can contribute to its mission. We must remind ourselves to produce meaningful and genuine content on social media, not simply participate in a trend for its virality. Next time you encounter one of these videos, take the time to research USC MIND and figure out your role in aiding its cause.
For more information about USC’s MIND club, visit @uscmind on Instagram.
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