Crowdfunding as a mediated practice

Abstract

Abstract Crowdfunding platforms are well aware of many of the critiques of this practice, particularly the concern that crowdfunding disadvantages racialized minorities and other groups and exacerbates existing social inequities. Partially in response to these concerns, GoFundMe in particular has become more active in publicly criticizing failures by the US government to address social needs and promoting campaigns for Black Lives Matters, groups addressing anti-Asian hate, and LGTBQ support groups, among others. These and other initiatives have shifted crowdfunding from primarily a form of direct giving to a more institutionally mediated, indirect giving practice. While no doubt well-intentioned, this turn in crowdfunding also repeats some of the historical concerns with indirect giving through philanthropic intermediaries. Moreover, it cannot alone solve the ethical, political, and practical shortcomings of crowdfunding.