When we think of crowdsourcing, often the first thing that comes to mind is crowdfunding, we think of start-ups and websites like Kickstarter helping to get ideas and small businesses off the ground. But crowdsourcing has always been so much more than that and over time ventures like fundraising and public safety through social mapping have adapted to utilise crowdsourcing campaigns to their benefit.
Crowdsourcing is defined as
The practice of obtaining needed services, ideas, or content by soliciting contributions from a large group of people and especially from the online community rather than from traditional employees or suppliers. (Merriam-Webster Dictionary 2021)
When considering fundraising as a crowdsourcing effort, what better way to fundraise than online? If you have a cause you care about and the platform to get people involved, why not?
That was the case for Celeste Barber when she put the call out for donations to raise funds for the bushfires which ravaged numerous states within Australia in the summer of 2019/2020. By the time the fundraiser she set up closed, she had raised over $51 million in donations (Maguire 2020). She did something great, for a cause she truly cared about, but a small mistake on her part and a legal requirement that neither she, nor many other people would have even known about caused a public storm which led people to think she had misled donators and that their donations were not going where they should, given what she implied would happen (MyCause 2020). Personally, I donated and I didn’t have issue with where the funds ended up, whilst I understand people’s disappointment and of course I too was disappointed that actual victims did not benefit, I knew that the money was still going to a good cause.
When donating to charities, you often don’t know where your money is really going. For me, in this instance at least I know where it ended up. A recent Choice survey revealed that a staggering 81% of respondents often had no idea where their donation was actually going and 90% wanted to know where their money would really end up (Kollmorgen, A. 2020).
Social Mapping is another tool which utilises crowdsourcing. Social mapping gathers real-time data from real-life people during real-life events, this data is turned into a digital map which shows people the impacts of crisis and activist activities almost in real time (Gutierrez 2018).
One of the key drivers for participation in crowdsourcing in terms or social mapping, particularly regarding safety is that it can give victims a sense of control. As Riccardi establishied
"It was discovered that during a disaster in which a victim has suffered loss that one of the ways for them to cope with their loss is through the establishment of some form of control over the situation. " (Riccardi, M 2016)
Not-for-profit company Ushahidi utilises social mapping by having people to contribute to their dynamic maps (Gutierrez 2018), enabling their users to quickly gather and share data which can then be decisively analysed, responded to and acted on, with crowdsourcing used in this context leading to real and tangible change, where contributors know exactly what their input achieves (Ushahidi 2021).
How many ways in which we can now contribute through crowdsource has changed throughout the years, but what remains the same is that by coming together we can quickly solve problems and at its core that is what crowdsourcing is all about.
You can chip in for the next big tech gadget, donate to a cause or respond to a callout for help, lending a hand in real-life. However you contribute to crowdsourcing, at the end of the day you’re doing what you can to help the world in your own tiny way and that’s what really matters.
References
Gutierrez, M 2018, “Maputopias: cartographies of communication, coordination and action - the cases of Ushahidi and InfoAmazonia”, GeoJournal, vol. 84, pp. 101-120.
Kollmorgen, A. 2020, How to give to charity so your donation really counts, Choice, viewed 30 August 2021 <https://www.choice.com.au/shopping/everydayshopping/ethical-buying-and-giving/buyingguides/donating-to-charity>.
Maguire, D 2020, Celeste Barber's bushfire fundraiser raised millions - here's what's happening with that money, ABC News, 20 February, viewed 26 August 2021, <https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-20/celeste-barber-fundraiser-money-tied-up-legal-complications/11979108>.
Merriam-Webster 2021, Crowdsourcing, Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, viewed 24 August 2021, <https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crowdsourcing>.
MyCause 2020, Celeste Barber unintentionally misled her donors. Donations should be going to RFS NSW., MyCause, 16 February, viewed 26 August 2021 <https://www.mycause.com.au/blog/celeste-barber-misled-her-donors-and-fans>.
Riccardi, M 2016, 'The power of crowdsourcing in disaster response operations' International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, vol 20, pp 123-128.
Ushahidi 2021, About, Ushahidi,viewed 30 August 2021, <https://www.ushahidi.com/>.
Hey Nerissa!
I love the way you have laid it all out and incorporated all the images and the GIF! And of course, your writing is great too! haha
Great job and all the best for the remainder of your studies :)