The YouTube Numbers Are In, and the Ice Bucket Challenge Just Made History

Impact

The news: The Ice Bucket Challenge just joined Psy and Justin Bieber in the annals of YouTube mega-stardom. 

Taken together, the number of views on ALS charity videos has reached 1 billion, YouTube announced Monday. The craze — which inspired a slew of critiques about its narcissistic undertones — went viral this summer.

The Ice Bucket Challenge is "one of the biggest video memes in the history of the Internet. Yeah, it's that big," YouTube said

Its blazing success can't be denied. The YouTube milestone is yet another example of the challenge's astronomical levels of triumph. It has raised over $100 million in donations, and, as Mashable points out, Wikipedia page views for the disease jumped to 2.89 million in August. If fundraising and awareness were the goal, the campaign has definitely succeeded.

Despite all the annoyance you might have experienced scrolling through endless ice bucket videos on your Facebook feed, they made a difference in the end. Unlike other viral sensations (we're looking at you, #KONY2012), the ALS challenge has been an undeniable success. 

Enjoy the pedestal, ice bucket videos — even though you have to share it with Justin Bieber. 

h/t Mashable