The latest issue of the Journal of Digital and Media Literacy features a research article by Dr. John A. McArthur. The article – “Altruism meets Participatory Video: A correlational study of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge” – examines the motivations of participants contributing to the viral phenomenon in the summer of 2014. The abstract reads:

Digital literacy and social benefits met in the form of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge in August 2014. This study assessed the experience of participants in the challenge to understand the relationships between altruism, motivation to participate, and digital literacy. Results indicate relationships between altruism and the motivators of product involvement and social benefits. In addition, results offer the perception of contribution to a cause as a predictor of development of digital literacy.

Dr. McArthur is an associate professor of communication in the James L. Knight School of Communication at Queens University of Charlotte. His current research examines proxemics and the impacts of digital technology on human communication.

Readers can gain full access to the journal article in the Journal of Digital and Media Literacy here.