Abstract
Crowdfunding and other digital mechanisms have the potential to open up cultural production to a broader population. Adopting a spatial approach, we investigate the intermediating role platforms play as a means of considering the debate regarding the egalitarian potential of digital communication. We consider the extent to which platforms relax the tendencies towards the spatial clustering evident in the culture industries through an analysis of two practices: Kickstarter's ‘curated projects’ and ‘badged projects’, which provide some projects with additional promotion. We find that both types of recommended projects tend to cluster in cultural hubs and that they enjoy higher levels of funding than successful projects in general. Rather than relaxing physical constraints on cultural production, Internet platforms reinforce them. We suggest practical steps platforms can take to enhance the egalitarian potential of the markets they set up.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1464-1478 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| Journal | Information Communication and Society |
| Volume | 22 |
| Issue number | 10 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 24 Aug 2019 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2018, © 2018 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
Keywords
- Crowdfunding
- culture industries
- geography
- inequality
- intermediaries
- platforms
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Communication
- Library and Information Sciences