Taking On Internet Challenges

The internet is full of weird and wonderful things – dogs who befriend ducklings, kid geniuses outsmarting the world’s brightest minds and kitchen hacks that take traditional cooking to new levels. But one of the most outstanding phenomena of the internet's young history has been the impact of viral challenges. 

Today, we’re in a nostalgic mood to revisit some of the classic trailblazers of viral challenges that now rest in the online Hall of Fame – and the impact they have left behind in internet culture.  

First up, the Ice Bucket Challenge

Do you remember the Summer of 2014 when every time you opened your phone you would find someone dumping ice water over their heads and telling their friends to do the same? The challenge may have seemed bizarre to some but the outcome was incredible. 

It flooded the internet in no time, raising more than just money for the ALS treatment cause. The hidden twist was that if you were nominated you had 24 hours to accept your icy fate or else you needed to donate anything from $10 to $100 to research for treatments of ALS.

It not only saw everyday people nominating their local friends but celebrities challenging each other – with most people donating even after taking their very quick, cold shower. Those who didn’t want to get a frosty splash often tried the adapted “Nice Bucket Challenge” that saw people passing on acts of kindness. 

Sit still for this one, it’s the Mannequin Challenge 

While everyone’s hunting down their 2016 throwback pictures we’re thinking back to when schools, sports teams, grandparents and everyone in between were freezing into mannequin-like poses. 

Captured in its unique slow pan nature, the more complex the frozen scene, the more kudos rolled in. People were planking on bar stools, creating epic party scenes or freeze-framing family moments with a twist. 

The visual stillness of the challenge was an invite to slow down and focus on what you wanted people to see most. This style of content ended up proving to be an excellent tool for activists to highlight issues like racial injustice, mental health and homelessness. 

Hungry for another? Do you remember the Chubby Bunny Challenge?

This one was about stuffing marshmallows into your mouth and saying “Chubby Bunny” after each one. The challenge became how many marshmallows could you fit in your mouth before you physically couldn’t speak anymore. 

Many puffy cheeks and ridiculous chuckles were witnessed – but not all that glitters is gold. The challenge became a cautionary tale of a choking hazard if taken too far, sparking conversations around safety in internet trend culture.  

It’s not the only challenge to take an unfortunate twist in its outcome but some trends where the goal is always to go further or to do more than someone else can push younger participants to try things without the caution an adult would apply.

Challenges come and go, there are fitness improvement ones like 75 Hard that strive to get participants feeling more in tune with their personal development and too many dance and lipsyncing challenges to name. While their lifespans may be short lived, their impact can not only help make an immediate impact (like raising money) but can shape the future of challenge culture to reach even more people and help shape a better shared view of the world. 

Will these veterans ever make a comeback, or are they already the dinos of our collective digital memories? After all, the internet waits for no one...