Where is the impassable limit?
A review of the viral challenges that have caused the most stir lately; from the most fun and innocent to the most dangerous and absurd.
In recent years, many viral challenges have spread across the networks, joined by thousands of people. In many cases, the challenge is a simple contest - sometimes even for a charitable cause - but in others, the tests can be dangerous to health.
Fun viral challenges
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- #Kylorenchallenge: the first of the viral challenges of 2018. It was born as a mockery of the outfit of the new young villain of the Star Wars saga, Kylo Ren. The character, played by the American actor Adam Driver, appeared in the last movie Episode VIII - The Last Jedi wearing strange pants pulled above the navel and showing his chest. Since the artist and musician John Mayer posted a photo imitating Kylo Ren’s look, many users saw it as an opportunity to do the same and, at the same time, share their impressions of the latest chapter of the saga. This challenge harms no one and, at most, you will have a photo of yourself with navel-high pants in your Instagram history.
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- #IceBucketChallenge: perhaps the most famous of the viral challenges, this initiative has encouraged many famous people since 2014 to pour a bucket of ice-cold water over their heads in support of people with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which affected, for example, Stephen Hawking). Even Bill Gates dared to do it (and his video has the most views of all the #icebucketchallenge videos).
The Simpsons also accepted the challenge:
- If you laugh, you lose: this is one of the viral challenges based on something that has always existed, the attempt to hold back laughter in funny situations. Perhaps the kindest of the challenges. YouTubers have recorded themselves playing this challenge and we can all do it at home by challenging everyone nearby to hold back laughter while watching funny videos.
- #Mannequin Challenge: Some of these videos are true masterpieces of stillness. In this viral challenge, time stops and everyone must remain still doing whatever they were doing. Usually several people participate and the more, the better. In the most elaborate videos, different rooms are shown and hundreds of people appear, like this one from Maple Ridge Secondary School in Canada.
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- #Harlem Shake: it became famous some time ago and consisted of someone suddenly starting to dance in the most random and unexpected way in any situation while catchy electronic music played in the background.
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- “Andy is coming”: one of the viral challenges that fits into the “family” category. In this case, more than a challenge, it is a group game in which the “battle cry” is the phrase from the already classic Pixar movie Toy Story. In the film, the toys shout “Andy is coming!” when their owner approaches the room to appear still and lifeless, and the participants in this test do the same. https://youtu.be/7TPrcNk5_so
Dangerous viral challenges not recommended
- The floor is lava: a game similar to “Andy is coming,” but it consists of shouting “the floor is lava!” so that all participants take cover on an elevated surface or in a water area, imagining that the ground they step on is covered with lava. Although it seems harmless at first glance, some people have taken the game to the extreme and risked jumping from bridges over rivers or climbing dangerous places to complete the challenge. There is no worse way to spoil a fun activity that should be harmless.
- #KyleJennerLipChallenge: one of the viral and dangerous challenges born from the Kardashian family phenomenon that encouraged many teenage girls to try to imitate star Kyle Jenner’s lips by using shot glasses as suction cups to temporarily swell their own lips. It is considered dangerous because of the risk of breaking the glass and cutting yourself or causing bruises in the area where the suction is applied.
- “#tidepodchallenge”: this is one more of the viral challenges where the test consists of eating things that are usually not edible (such as, in this case, the Tide Pod, a brand of detergent tablets) or large amounts of a specific ingredient (like a spoonful of cinnamon in the “cinnamon challenge” or a gallon -3.7 liters- of milk in the “gallon challenge”).
- #100layersofclothes: there are as many viral challenges as people in the world; this one consisted, as its name indicates, of putting on one hundred garments on top of each other. Sometimes things did not go so well and there have been cases, like this girl’s, who got very overwhelmed when she tried to take off the shirts live.
- Ice and salt burns: the last of the viral challenges we will talk about is one recorded on the networks last year. Even the Civil Guard warned on Twitter about this dangerous practice that consisted of causing burns on the skin by applying salt and ice to then show off the daring act on the Internet.
The most important thing about viral challenges is to keep a clear head to distinguish fun from unnecessary danger and foolishness that can only end badly. Join the most constructive and fun challenges with your friends and followers and dare to take part in those that catch your attention the most.
