新奇事件簿 冰桶挑戰(zhàn)有利于慈善事業(yè)

You have probably seen videos on social media of your family and friends pouring a bucket of ice-cold water on their heads for charity. They have taken part in the Ice Bucket Challenge, the latest viral campaign to emerge on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and other networking sites. The challenge involves dumping icy water on top of your head or donating $100 to various ALS charities. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) - also known as motor neurone disease (MND) – destroys muscle, making it difficult to speak, swallow and breathe. Ice Bucket Challenge participants post a video online and invite friends to follow suit. More than 1.1 million donors in the USA have donated over $53 million since July the 29th.

你或許在大眾媒體的視頻中看到過自己的家人和朋友將一桶冰冷的水倒在自己的頭上。他們是在參加冰桶挑戰(zhàn)，而且這一活動最近在Facebook, YouTube, Twitter等其他社交網(wǎng)站上瘋狂傳播。這一挑戰(zhàn)包括在自己頭部傾倒冰冷的水，或者向多家ALS 慈善機構(gòu)捐款100美元。肌萎縮性脊髓側(cè)索硬化癥(ALS)，也稱作運動神經(jīng)元疾病(MND)，這一疾病將會毀壞肌肉，致使病患難以講話，吞咽困難，甚至無法呼吸。冰桶挑戰(zhàn)的參與者會在線發(fā)布視頻，并邀請朋友參加。自7月29日以來，美國多達110萬的捐款人，已經(jīng)捐獻了5300萬美元。

The viral campaign is giving ALS and MND charities valuable global exposure to raise awareness of the disease and raise funds. It exploits people's willingness and desire to post selfies or videos of themselves online, while feeling good about helping a charity. Communication and Media Studies professor Mark Glantz said: "You get the message directly from friends and acquaintances. It kind of appeals to the same side of people that wants to post a selfie." The challenge has even reached the President of the USA. Barack Obama decided against the dousing but said he would donate instead. Most people with ALS die from respiratory failure within three to five years from the onset of symptoms.

這一瘋狂的活動為ALS和MND的慈善機構(gòu)做了有價值的全球性宣傳，并且提高了人們對這一疾病的關注度，募捐了更多基金。這一活動利用人們的意愿和希望來在線發(fā)布自己的自拍照或視頻，而且人們還會因為能夠幫助慈善機構(gòu)而感覺良好。通訊和傳媒研究教授馬可表示，人們可以從朋友和熟人那里直接獲得信息。這是吸引具有相同立場的人發(fā)布自拍照的一種方式。美國總統(tǒng)奧巴馬拒絕了這一挑戰(zhàn)。但是奧巴馬表示他會捐款。大多數(shù)患有ALS疾病的人，在癥狀出現(xiàn)3到5年之后，會死于呼吸衰竭。