ABSTRACT
Using Marshall McLuhan’s tetrad as a method of organization, this chapter examines the rhetorical function of #ALSIceBucketChallenge.The first section explores how #ALSIceBucketChallenge amplifies visibility and awareness through rapid circulation.The second section demonstrates how #ALSIceBucketChallengeobsolesces the need for extended circulation as an indicator of effectiveness.The third section examines how #ALSIceBucketChallenge retrieves memorable phrases as a necessary design feature in an attention economy.The fourth section interrogates how #ALSIceBucketChallenge reverses into noise and spam, putting the campaign at risk for functioning counterproductively.Through these categories of exploration, the rhetorical structure and function of #ALSIceBucketChallenge can be more richly interrogated.
