Yesterday, as I was driving home, savoring the last days of summer, a technology reporter for The Huffington Post phoned to ask my thoughts on “why the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge had gone viral.” I’d seen a few challenge videos (Bill Gate’s, Lady Gaga’s, my friend Breck’s), some headlines about the challenge, and a couple of heated threads debating its merits. I’d seen them but hadn’t read closely, let alone given the matter any scholarly thought. But it’s always nice to be asked for an opinion, and traffic was languid, so I figured I might as well do my professional best to answer the reporter’s question. Far more people were going to read his piece in Huff Post than my last paper. In terms of public anthropology, talking to him felt like both opportunity and obligation. (read more...)