Viral generosity trends of early 2010s have faded, Vox reports
7 reported
According to a Vox article, the early 2010s saw a surge in viral generosity campaigns on social media, such as the ice bucket challenge for ALS research and #GivingTuesday, alongside billionaire initiatives like the Giving Pledge. The article states that as social media algorithms changed in the mid-2010s, the internet became more fractured, and earnest, apolitical giving became less common. It reports that fewer Americans have chosen to give to charity each year for much of the past decade, and most billionaires appear to be giving away a diminishing share of their fortunes. The article attributes this shift to an "attention crisis" exacerbated by rising inequality and the decline of generosity as a collective cultural value. It notes that the Giving Pledge has lost momentum and faced criticism from figures like Peter Thiel. The article suggests that viral nostalgia for the early 2010s may indicate a potential swing back toward earnestness.
What’s reported
The ice bucket challenge in 2014 raised money for ALS research and involved participants like Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Justin Bieber, David Lynch, and Donald Trump.
The Giving Pledge, launched in 2010 by Bill Gates, Melinda French Gates, and Warren Buffett, aimed to convince billionaires to donate at least half their fortunes to charity.
At its peak, about one in seven American billionaires signed the Giving Pledge.
Asha Curran co-founded GivingTuesday in 2012, which raised at least $10 million for charity in its first year.
The article states that for much of the past decade, fewer Americans have chosen to give to charity each year, and most billionaires appear to be giving away a diminishing share of their fortunes.
Scott Harrison, founder of Charity: Water, said he has struggled to fundraise in recent years, noting that giving is "not on trend."
The article describes the problem as an "attention crisis" rather than a giving crisis.
Key figures
Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft and co-founder of the Giving Pledge
Melinda French Gates, co-founder of the Giving Pledge
Warren Buffett, co-founder of the Giving Pledge
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX
Asha Curran, co-founder of GivingTuesday
Scott Harrison, founder of Charity: Water
Aaron Dorfman, CEO of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy
Peter Thiel, investor and critic of the Giving Pledge
Sources: vox.com
