The concept of crowdfunding, where grassroots creative projects are funded by the masses through websites such as Kickstarter and Indiegogo, has been steadily gaining attention over the last few years. Crowdfunding the Future undertakes a dynamic interdisciplinary approach to the examination of the new, and growing, phenomenon of crowdfunding and its encompassment of digital society and media industries. The book offers a wide range of perspectives and empirical research, providing analyses of crowdfunded projects, the interaction between producers and audiences, and the role that websites such as Kickstarter play in discussions around fan agency and exploitation, as well as the ethics of crowdfunding. With a series of chapters covering a global range of disciplines and topics, this volume offers a comprehensive overview on crowdfunding, examining and unraveling the international debates around this increasingly popular practice. The book is suitable for courses covering media studies, fandom, digital media, sociology, film production, anthropology, audience, and cultural studies.
Industry Reviews
«This outstanding collection successfully kickstarts the critical analysis of crowdfunding. Combining nuanced work on fandom with examinations of ethics and civic projects, the book's wide-ranging, international scope is especially impressive. Also featuring reflections from crowdfunding campaign creators alongside acute scholarly studies, Crowdfunding the Future is an incredibly rewarding read.» (Professor Matt Hills, Aberystwyth University)
«This is an important, timely contribution to the fields of media studies and fan studies. Taken together, the chapters, including the afterword by Paul Booth, offer engaging discussions of this emerging technocultural practice in relation to media fans and industries, academic research and community journalism. A range of ethical, economic, and affective issues as well as the relations of power that shape the conditions for crowdfunding are critically examined, giving this collection much-needed breadth and depth» (Rhiannon Bury, Author, Television 2.0: New Perspectives on Digital Convergence, Audiences and Fans (Peter Lang, forthcoming))
