Ice Bucket Challenge and the power of gaming

My first reaction to ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE (IBC) was “well here is another silly stuff to feed the social media”.  It comes out as a gimmick.  Then when I was confronted with a simple question “tell me how they feel about the ice bucket challenge irrespective of whether you did it or not. this is not about judging anyone….” it got me thinking. 

What is the challenge?

It’s an effort to raise awareness of ALS where participants must dump a bucket of ice cold water and then dare someone to do the same. If they can’t, the alternative is to donate $100 to the ALS association.

So the challenge is simple.  You either bear the stinging chill of Ice water on your body or you write a cheque for $100 to the ALS Association. Most of the challenges we would want to handle provide us either with a reward or a penalty. Thats what a challenge is all about  you either win or lose. The IBC is different its either a lose lose or a win win option depends entirely on how you take it. 

You have the stinging cold water dumped on your head trickling down to your body thereby you put yourself into a bit of distress or your part with $100.  It sure is a lose lose situation particularly in the real world.  But then in the  social media firmament it becomes a win win thing.  When you take a video of yourself taking on the IBC and when you share it on Facebook you automatically get into the league of Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Lady Gaga but should you chicken out you end up donating $100 to ALS foundation which by now has become a sexy charity (dislodging AIDS) and thereby end up adding some CSR brownies to your personal brand. So its WIN WIN in the Social media world. 

Who ever conceived of this has either done it after a lot of thought and has understood human behaviour in the brick & mortar world and the social media world.  Facebook is a huge game bin. Its got rewards embedded in the form of like button. Every time a like button is hit for a post the author of the post gets a trickle of the feel good chemical (dopamine) release. Over a period of time the the participant gets used to this reward chemicals and would want more of it, thereby ends up with more posts or shares on the wall.  To Facebook it is content. This reward loop is vital for content generation in social media. In the real world there is either reward or reproach scenario while in social media there is either rewards or no rewards. (No reward is your posts not getting the likes). 

So in this game bin called Facebook the IBC is one activity that can give a person the Dopamine shower not just a trickle. Simple it may seem but it requires balls  to take up the challenge. Trust me its not easy. It certainly not for those who are cynical or for the analytical minds. 

Waste of water seems to be one huge criticism for this activity.  A valid one at that.  But remember social media is different its a place where you can make eczema flakes look like  snake tattoos. 

TED.com's 5 Word Speech at the 14th Annual Webby Awards

The funny thing called MINEKEY

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“1 of the perks of being born a hick is the trucker’s mouth that comes with it.”

was a post in Minekey. Well you need check this out, some are sheer mindless, some are serious, some simple and profound…well you have em all. I have been spending quite some time writing silly things and making it seem profound or writing profound things and making it seem silly….one thing is for sure, if you give it straight no one responds.

I wrote an entry about KISS – say at its merely a contraction of lips due to expansion of heart… bingo!!!! I had people coming out with all sorts of perspectives. The comment even attracted a Doctor who came up with total biological stuff of a kiss. Want to know??? here it is for your reading:

in which many muscles contact at once the aural muscles the buccular muscles the muscles of the neck and of’course of the heart!

Well I have written trying to get peoples opinion about Neda, so one bothered. I had this wonderful discussion with Mathew of Kerala who was quite disgusted with the behavior of the priests in the church that he was on the path of atheism. We exchanged comments and I shared with him the reason for such happening in the Church and how Christ has supremacy over everything, including evil. Mathew liked it he thanked me profoundly.

Then this golden egg in minekey, quite a pain.. every comment you make and every time you share your comments with the non Minekeyers who get rewarded with golden eggs. Sometimes the counter seems fun but it sucks big time
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Walls of fire, water and bricks

The Berlin wall fell, the trumpets brought down the Iron curtain.  The information era heralded the futility of brick & mortar and made mockery of security that relied on the safety of brick walls.  The twin towers came crashing as a reminder of this truth.  The Babel was a lesson to this, well who cared for it anyway?  On a very individual level the mind of man is to possess a land, discuss the plans with an architect, buy the best bricks, the toughest steel and the most reliable cement and then build the strong walls and iron gates to mark the boundaries merely to find the illusion of security.  It is this fortified home or city that can nurture such revolt and danger within.

If only man can occupy his mind to open his home, to bring down the walls and let the light and breeze come in, so that those who need shelter can walk in and find solace, only then will he find true security.  Is there an architect who can plan a secure home for all, dewalled- desteeled and decemented ?  The architect of this world is probably the one who did this …. he made every thing for every man to enjoy.  He gave rain for the good and the wicked.  He provided for all.

The brick walls have fallen, and as islands secured amidst deep waters and nations governed by dictators cannot stop the flow of information.  The world of knowledge has been laid bare.  Its free, its springs come drink of it. 

Your security lies in the Word.

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