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Social media has done plenty for our modern day society and although it has spread messages of hate easier and faster than before, social activism has been a prominent competitor.

Any publicity and awareness is better than ignorance by miles yet, we should not settle for mediocre convenient activism as the new "most one can do for others". Social media has helped the public by informing them of current day issues yet fails to educate them on these issues. An example of this is the "#ALSicebucketchallenge" to raise money for the practically incurable illness many suffer from. Not everyone was donating but simply pouring ice cold water on themselves for the trend of it. Although misleading,  the hashtag reached such a wide audience to the point where it was possible for researches to have a breakthrough with ALS as seen in the article below.

Does online activism work? It depends. In the of the LGBTQ2+ community, homeless shelters and programs to help those in need suffering from homophobia might gain some more donations than normal by spreading awareness on the topic, yet it depends if the audience WANTS to take that extra step of social responsibility in contributing to their community and own education on oppression.

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Not only has research funded by the stunt uncovered a gene variant associated with ALS, it has also demonstrated the huge value of scientific collaboration

When Bill Gates pulled on a red and white-striped cord to upturn a bucket of iced water positioned delicately over his head, the most immediate thought for many was not, perhaps, of motor neurone disease.

But the ice bucket challenge, the charity campaign that went viral in the summer of 2014 and left scores of notable persons from Gates and Mark Zuckerberg to George W. Bush and Anna Wintour shivering and drenched, has paid off in the most spectacular way.

Dismissed by some at the time as "slacktivism" - an exercise that appears to do good while achieving very little - the ice bucket challenge raised more than $115m (£88m) for motor neurone disease in a single month. Now, scientists funded with the proceeds have discovered a gene variant associated with the condition.

In the near term the NEK1 gene variant, described in the journal Nature Genetics this week, will help scientists understand how the incurable disorder, known also as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig's disease, takes hold. Once the mechanisms are more clearly elucidated, it may steer researchers on a path towards much-needed treatments.

The work may never have happened were it not for the curious appeal of the frozen water drenchings. The research grants that scientists are awarded do not get close to the €4m the study required. Instead, Project MinE, which aims to unravel the genetic basis of the disease and ultimately find a cure, was funded by the ALS Association through ice bucket challenge donations.

It was more than money that made the difference. Jan Veldink, who led the latest research at University Medical Centre in Utrecht, said that ALS charities in the US, UK, the Netherlands and elsewhere joined forces to make the project happen. National funding bodies would do well to do the same, he says. "It is a call for funding agencies to collaborate and not just fund projects within a few hundred kilometres, to think globally and synchronise their efforts."

Bernard Muller, a Dutch entrepreneur, was diagnosed with the disease in 2010 and decided to turn his business skills to finding a solution. In 2013 he founded Project MinE, starting with thousands of untested blood samples of ALS patients that was gathering dust in a lab in the Netherlands.

He said that when he saw the ice bucket challenge play out on social media, he was thrilled, adding that he was honoured that his project was chosen as a recipient of funds.

"It was one of the most successful campaigns on social media, it came out of the blue," he said. "The funding has helped us with research, but it has also had a profound effect on the attention not only on the general public but also in biotech and pharmaceutical companies - we are seeing more and more thinking that ALS should be a target [for research]."

The viral campaign was only the start of the crowdfunding effort that brought in the research money. "It was the first and the largest and the most important crowdfunding activity, but then there were city swims in Amsterdam and in New York, and then cycling events," Veldink said. "The only way we could do this research was through those crowdfunding projects."

Millions took part in the ice bucket challenge and submitted to a bucket of iced water being poured over their head in return for donations to the charity and the chance to nominate others to follow suit. When Zuckerberg got drenched he challenged Bill Gates who in turn invited Elon Musk, the entrepreneur behind SpaceX and Tesla cars to do the same.

Veldink's team of 80 researchers in 11 countries discovered the link between NEK1 and motor neurone disease by comparing the genomes of thousands of patients with the DNA makeup of healthy controls.

The NEK1 variant appears in only 3% of patients, suggesting more genes that raise the risk of motor neurone disease are out there to be found. But what is known about NEK1 has already got scientists thinking. The gene appears to help repair DNA damage that accumulates as we age. That ties in with motor neurone disease being rare in the under 40s and normally only emerging when people reach their 50s and older. Should the new variant of NEK1 work less well, faults in DNA could build up as people grow old. "It may be that DNA repair is less efficient than in healthy people," Veldink says.

The ice bucket challenge raised more than £7m for the MND Association in the UK. More than £5m went towards research, with £1.5m going to Project MinE. Research by the Charities Aid Foundation in 2014 showed that, contrary to what some had feared, the majority of people who gave money in response to the ice bucket challenge donated on top of their usual charity giving. The campaign led to a spike in donations in the summer of 2014, particularly from younger people, but overall charity giving has remained fairly stable in the UK at £10bn a year.

Sally Light, chief executive of the MND Association, said: "Motor neurone disease is a devastating disease and kills more than half of people within two years of diagnosis. It's fantastic that the money raised globally from the Ice Bucket Challenge has contributed towards the discovery of this new gene.

"It's another step towards understanding so much more about what is such a complicated disease. A huge thank you to everyone who poured iced water over their heads; their support is really making a difference in our fight against MND."

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How the ice bucket challenge led to an ALS research breakthrough

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Not only has research funded by the stunt uncovered a gene variant associated with ALS, it has also demonstrated the huge value of scientific collaboration When Bill Gates pulled on a red and white-striped cord to upturn a bucket of iced water positioned delicately over his head, the most immediate thought for many was not, perhaps, of motor neurone disease.

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Although #lovewins is simply a celebratory hashtag, it has given the world an opportunity to share their LGBTQ2+ stories with electronic word with a click of a button.

Personally, I do not think the hashtag does anything but provide people with another perspective from someone through a screen. Perspectives are a very important factor gaining knowledge on a sort of oppression or injustice towards a group of people, yet is only a step in the education process surrounding the issue. The hashtag only makes one step to a great process much more simpler for current and future social media users in addition to giving hope to those feeling unwanted by the mass amount of homophobia in their life.

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"Even in Texas?" she asked with wide eyes."Yes, even in Texas," I said.#LoveWins

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"Even in Texas?" she asked with wide eyes."Yes, even in Texas," I said.#LoveWins

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"Even in Texas?" she asked with wide eyes.
"Yes, even in Texas," I said.
#LoveWins http://t.co/LH1SoVyzr4

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"Even in Texas?" she asked with wide eyes.
"Yes, even in Texas," I said.
#LoveWins http://t.co/LH1SoVyzr4

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"Even in Texas?" she asked with wide eyes.
"Yes, even in Texas," I said.#LoveWins pic.twitter.com/LH1SoVyzr4
— Chris Lacroix (@Lacroix1Chris) June 26, 2015

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"Even in Texas?" she asked with wide eyes.
"Yes, even in Texas," I said.
#LoveWins http://t.co/LH1SoVyzr4

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"Even in Texas?" she asked with wide eyes.
"Yes, even in Texas," I said.
#LoveWins http://t.co/LH1SoVyzr4

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"Even in Texas?" she asked with wide eyes.
"Yes, even in Texas," I said.
#LoveWins http://t.co/LH1SoVyzr4

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-(n.d.). Retrieved January 15, 2018, from https://theprose.com/post/29189/what-does-love-wins-really-mean
-Aslam, Y. (2015, June 27). #LoveWins on the Internet. Retrieved January 15, 2018, from http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/love-wins-the-internet
-Behind The Hashtag: #LoveWins. (n.d.). Retrieved January 15, 2018, from http://series.hashtagsunplugged.com/lovewins

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Exactly what does "LoveWins" mean? Does it mean Love lost everyday before 2015? In the end, just as personal as Love is, the hashtag is the same. In the Prose attached below an anonymous writer explains her opinion on "What Does 'Love Wins' Really Mean?". Explaining that marriage does not always equal love, Love Wins is just a political term in their eyes.

Therefore, Love Wins means a step forward to acception of different preferences in a society in which uniform was the desired achievement everywhere in my personal opinion. It is a step forward for the community that has spent generation shunned into the dark for who they love. Love is a human trait and need. Love should not be kept from anyone.

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After Barack Obama, US President at the time, tweeted this (see below), the trend kicked off with more political leaders, celebrities, and famous authors from several parts of the world to congratulate the United States on celebrate love between anyone and everyone during the year of 2015.

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Friday, June 26th, 2015 was a big day for American citizens and the rest of the world, as that morning it was announced same sex marriage is finally legal after years of activism for the human right. On that day, Love won for the LGBTQ2+ community.