Public Online Failure With Crowdfunding

Abstract

Kickstarter is a growing online crowdfunding platform where individuals attempt to raise funds for creative projects by leveraging their personal social networks for small financial contributions. Crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter are actively growing, with thousands of individuals attempting projects each month. While other scholarly research and the popular press has focused on the success stories from crowd- funding, the fact remains that a majority of projects fail. Little attention has focused on the majority of individuals who have run failed projects and experienced a publicly embarrassing event in the process. We see crowdfunding platforms as a unique opportunity to study and understand how individuals react to online embarrassment.