For the past few weeks, every time anyone has logged on to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, they have seen at least a few of their friends getting buckets of ice water dumped over their heads. These lucky people are participating in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, a competition that raises money for ALS, which is also called Lou Gehrig’s disease.

According to the ALS Association, this disease causes motor neurons that reach from the brain to the spinal cord to deteriorate which leads to becoming paralyzed and eventually dying according to alsa.org. The Ice Bucket Challenge dares people to either donate one hundred dollars to research to find a cure for ALS, or to dump a bucket of ice water on his or her head within twenty-four hours of being challenged. Each person who takes the challenge then must challenge three more people to complete the task as well by using the hashtag #IceBucketChallenge and #StrikeOutALS 

Not only has this contest gotten people affected by the disease in some way involved, many celebrities have taken on the challenge as well. A few of these celebrities including, Taylor Swift, Tim McGraw, and even Oprah, have not only soaked themselves in ice water, but have donated money to research as well. This challenge has been so successful in raising donation money that the ALS Association is ecstatic about the results. On its website, the association reports that they have received over $4 million in donations between Jul. 29 and Aug. 12, whereas last year, that same time span only received $1.2 million according to alsa.org.

Although some say that this social media burst is just a phase and will pass shortly, anyone would agree that the numerous posts of people pouring water on their heads is worth it. Social media has now become the quickest way to spread information. Since this challenge has helped spread awareness in the quickest way possible, there has been a vast increase in donated money, which has made a long lasting impact. Any additional amount of money that is donated to research could be related to finding a cure. Finding a cure gives those diagnosed their mobility and, most importantly, their lives back.