Oliver Rawlings Find Crowdfunding Fascinating

Hailed as the new way to bankroll huge projects, crowdfunding is here, it’s larger than life and I find it fascinating. Oliver Rawlings readers, crowdfunding is the future.

The Relationship between Culture and Technology

As any reader of this blog can attest to, I find culture and technology fascinating. Two of my life long passions, I never miss an opportunity to blog about these two complex subjects, and I’m the sort of person who can’t resist reading about them either. It’s practically an addiction!

That’s why I find it riveting when the two come together. We live in a world driven by technological advances. New technology is practically the muse of the 21^st Century, spurring creative types to greater heights and inspiring truly post-modern works of art that would have been impossible to achieve without the aid of modern technologies such as the internet, laptops, smartphones etc.

What is Crowdfunding? How Does It Work?

That’s why I find crowdfunding fascinating. Crowdfunding is where someone raises money for a subject by going to many individual donors, and asking each one to donate a small amount of money, often in return for a gift, but no actual share in the profits the project generates.

So how is this possible? Well the artist sets up a donation page on a crowdfunding website, such as Indiegogo, makes their pitch and people log on and donate. The fact that the internet enables anyone to donate means that niche projects that wouldn’t have otherwise gotten off the ground, due to lack of interest, are able to go into production.

Why, because those people who want to see it happen are able to help it do so without the larger considerations that often way fund providers down, such as profit margins, advertising interest and the ability of the project to secure interest from key demographics.

A More Direct Input into the Artworks that Define Our Culture

In essence, crowdfunding is a way to bypass the usual funding avenues that artistic projects must travel down, and it broadens the scope of culture openly available to the masses. The genius of crowdfunding is that not only does it provide the cash, it builds up a fan base for the project to speak to once it’s finished;  people who have watched it grow from conception and have tracked it through to completion. It provides a personal attachment to art that we’ve never seen before.

In this way, crowdfunding is indicative of the evolving nature of the relationship between technology and modern culture. In the world of 2014, we have more access than ever, and more of an input into, the artworks that define the culture we live in. This direct participation is providing universal access to works of art that would likely otherwise never seen the light of day.

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Oliver Rawlings Asks: Should Instagram Let You Go Nude?

It may seem strange to us normal folk, but celebrities are currently up in arms about the right to bare all on social networking site Instagram. Considering the surprising direction this debate has taken, this week I ask on the Oliver Rawlings blog whether Instagram should let you go nude.

Freedom of Speech vs. Common Sense

The world has changed, and the internet has fostered a culture where our generation see it as their divine right to express themselves in any way they choose online. This popular mind set has been spurred on by social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and now Instagram, allowing a breadth of communication that would have been impossible to achieve even ten years ago.

Whilst living in a social media world has its advantages- and these are many – it generally does tempt people to post stupid, often offensive things. When this happens, not only does it shock and offend a lot of people, but it usually damages their reputation too. However whilst posting nude pictures is fairly stupid, many would argue that it’s a matter of freedom of expression, and this is why a campaign has grown up demanding that Instagram let people go nude.

Celebrities Go Nude

For those of you who’ve managed to avoid the social networking site, Instagram is primarily for posting pictures. Whilst those pictures are usually fairly tame, celebrities have been known to use the site to explore their wild side, and post snaps that many of us would find shocking, maybe even abhorrent.

That’s why it seems so unusual to me that this debate has even become a thing. Recently the site took down nude pictures that Rumor Willis had posted of herself. The sheer outrage she felt at such an action, prompted her and other women who’ve had topless pics removed, to start a campaign to get Instagram to change the policy. It’s become so popular even pop goddess Rihanna has endorsed it.

Oliver Rawlings on Freedom of Expression

Here’s the thing, Instagram say they ban this type of stuff as a matter of course. Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom said of the policy that "you may not post violent, nude, partially nude… pornographic or sexually suggestive photos." That’s a fair point, but it’s not like Instagram hasn’t let people post offensive stuff before. Just where do they think the line is?

Of course, Oliver Rawlings readers, I’m not suggesting that you go and take a nude snap – you’d never live it down. What this is really about is freedom of expression. With the internet, the game has changed, and we need to seriously think as a society about what is appropriate and what isn’t in the digital age.

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