Viral content has undoubtedly changed the fame game throughout the better part of the Information Age.
It regrettably made Bieber a global brand, #Kony2012 a household hashtag and propelled models like Kate Upton into instant celebrity status via a busty six seconds on Vine.
With every refresh, it seems, we are digitally blitzed with a new video freak show or talent and most of us just can’t resist the temptation to click. While the masses are self-serving, others have propelled hot button social issues to extraordinary heights, creating an accelerated awareness platform for some of the world’s most predominant causes. However, even something as altruistic as humanitarianism can apparently be tainted by the egomania of cyberspace. What happens when charity and self-obsession convene amidst the sphere of social media, you ask?
Answer: An influx of makeup-less selfies and a lot of wieners in socks.
Last week, the hashtag #nomakeupselfie and accompanying bare-skinned faces cluttered newsfeeds everywhere after Cancer Research UK launched its latest viral media campaign. The aim was to raise awareness for cancer by posting an au natural selfie and to encourage social networkers to donate a few British bucks to charity via text. Needless to say, the campaign blew up nearly overnight and by March 21st, the organization had already raked in about £ 1 million. Donations continue to climb upward of £ 13 million and are constantly increasing as more and more people become aware of the cause.
Not so coincidently, the similar yet slightly more revealing more #cockinasock campaign advocating testicular cancer awareness exploded onto the web scene at the beginning of this week. Like #nomakeupselfie, the marketing tactic seeks text-based donations and is depicted through millions of stripped-down men flaunting their physiques and endowments with a mere foot koozie as censorship. Like its sister movement, the viral crusade has gained overwhelming exposure (pun absolutely intended) since its Monday launch. Go ahead, type the hashtag in on Instagram, brace yourself for a full four-by-four grid bare backed boys, shriek like a six year-old and kill a couple of hours scrutinizing what you see if that’s what you’re into. Take note, however, of how very few of these photos actually refer to any acts of activism.
Who the hell am I to condemn anyone putting effort toward a good cause? I’m not cynical enough to scoff at something as significant and potentially valuable as cancer research. The problem with these “clicktivism” campaigns is not in their intentions, but rather in their vain manipulation. In regards to #cockinasock, Vice reports that the majority of men who have bared almost all across various social media platforms have done so without the inclusion of the donation text number or any references to the advocacy group, Get Your Sock Out. While there’s an entire digital gallery of near-dick pics circulating around the web, the organization has been reported to have raised only a little over 5k since its initiation. Could it be that these bare boys are more amped about finally having a justifiable outlet to parade their packages than about graciously giving their money to cancer research?
With a significant disparity between the amount of viral photos and less than impressive donation figures, I’d say it’s a fair assumption. Vice reporter Amelia Abraham contests that “things like online petitions and charity-marketing campaigns are taking the soul out of activism”. In regards to the #cockinasock initiative and viral fundamentality, she hits the nail on the head:
“A hashtag is, in its essence, a call for attention—the whole point is searchability, visibility. Hashtagging a picture of yourself, let alone your cock, basically means that you want as many people to see it as possible. I do like to imagine the clinical process of taking this unashamedly vain photo, an experience that must feel a bit like filming a Big Brother application video (and describing yourself as “really outgoing”). When you consider that these boys could always donate the three bucks sans naked selfie, you realize that the cock in a sock really is the domain of the douchebag. And not even in the traditional sense of the sock.”
I completely agree that there’s something about shoving your schlong into a sock that seems, how should I put this… completely insubstantial in regards to humanitarian efforts. If I wanted an eyeful, I’d go watch Magic Mike. To me, the gap between vanity and charity is too wide to close with a laughable fundraising initiative. As Twitter shows, this so-called “initiative”, buy and large, looks a lot more like a self-righteous media stunt than a worthy cause.
The money that has been accumulated is obviously a rewarding achievement for testicular and prostate cancer research in the UK and should not be regarded as inconsequential. However the thousands of Fabio poses and tube-socked dongs circulating through cyberspace seem to be serving arrogance and conceitedness over sponsoring medical breakthroughs. An attempt to use a cancer awareness campaign to legitimize self-righteous douchebaggery is and will forever be unjustified and pompous. If you want to contribute to a cause, part with your dollars as an anonymous benefactor. Don’t do it for the likes and don’t do it for the media attention. Do it because you care.
