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Many cannot afford to attend university and need some form of financial aid. (Farzan, 2015)

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Students are increasingly turning to online forums such as Kickstarter, IndieGoGo, and Rockethub to gain funding for tuition; asking strangers to help them pay for their projects and tuition.

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According to Adhikari (2012) campaigns need to become more accessible to the public by utilizing social media platforms, while still treading carefully; not broadcasting but rather engaging with with public.

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With everything becoming digital, and attention spans getting shorter, how can campaigns for crowdsource funding gain interest quickly and keep those already participating interested?

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‘Twitch’ is an app developed by Michael Bernstein, which, replaces the unlock screen with an interface for crowdsourcing. Instead of unlocking your phone you swipe through tasks such as verifying a Wikipedia fact, or selecting one of two stock pictures. (Marks,2015).

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‘Twitching’ gives you a small income for simply swiping through landmark photos. (Marks, 2014)

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Because the Millennial generation is continually lacking in attention span, Twitch encourages participation without the time commitment. (Marks, 2014)

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While crowdsourcing is a seemingly good plan if one does not have any other way of paying for tuition or research projects. However, crowdsourcing doesn’t come without strings attached. Those who back projects have a certain amount of input, thus losing complete control over one’s own project.

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Scientists are beginning to rely more heavily on crowdsourcing as the budgets consistently tighten for universities and research projects.(Lin, 2011)

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Some fear that excessive funding from the general public will result in government cuts for scientific research projects. (Gray, 2015)

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“Some fear that using crowdsourcing to support science could alter the balance of what research gets the green light.” (Gray 2015)

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“In practice I haven’t seen them be very effective – most people don’t get funded,” says Kantrowitz. “It’s not a very practical to raise money from strangers to help pay for your education.” (Briody, 2013)

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Crowdsource funding is not necessarily limited to tuition, for some, it is useful for fertility tests and vacations. (Briody,2013)

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“I can pay my tuition, I can live, I will be able to pay for my rent and car note and all my other expenses.” (Pannell: Watson, 2015)

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While some believe crowdsourcing is a good way to raise the funds needed for projects, others are skeptical.

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Chris Parr (2014) notes that Emily-Rose Eastop was met with some scathing comments after crowdsourcing for tuition for her masters program; such comments as “posh brat’ were posted on her website.

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In order for students to gain momentum with their projects, and attain funding for their projects they need a “compelling angle or selling point.” (Farzan, 2015)

Online giving has shown significant growth since social media has become engrained in our daily lives; in turn, there is significant increases in the number of platforms and charities. (Castillo, Petrie, Wardell, 2013)

Works CitedAdhikari,Abhay.”How Charities Can Use Social Media For Digital Campaigning.”http://www.theguardian.com/voluntary-sector-network/2012/apr/05/charities-social-media-digital-campaigning. Apr 5,2012. June 8 2015. Web.Briody, Blaire.” Crowdfunding: Why Strangers Will Pay Your Tuition.”http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Articles/2013/05/14/Crowdfunding-Why-Strangers-Will-Pay-Your-Tuition. May 14, 2013. June 8, 2015. Web.Castillo, Marco, Ragan Petrie, & Clarence Wardell. “Fundraising through Online Social Networks: A field experiment in peer to peer solicitation.” http://mason.gmu.edu/~rpetrie1/JPubEcon_Fundraising_through_online_social_media_2014.pdf. March 11, 2013. June 8, 2015.Web.Farzan, Antonia. “Ivy League Students are asking strangers to help pay the thousands they owe in Tuition.” http://www.businessinsider.com/columbia-students-crowdfunding-tuition-2015-4#ixzz3b8wi7bSK. Apr 28, 2015. June 8 2015. Web.Gray, Richard. “Crowdfunded Science: Harnessing the Wisdom of the Crowd or Selling out?http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/jan/02/crowdfunded-science-scientists-fund-research. Jan2 2015. June 8 2015.Lin, Thomas. “Scientists Turn to Crowds on the Web to Finance Their Projects.” http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/12/science/12crowd.html?pagewanted=all%20&_r=0. June 11 2011. June 8 2015. Web.Marks, Paul. “Crowdsourcing Twitch app could turn Swipes into Cash.” http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn24963-crowdsourcing-twitch-app-could-turn-swipes-into-cash.html#.VXr57IceXwy. Jan 2014. June 8 2015. Web

Works Cited

Parr, Chris. “Crowdsourcing to Fund Studies.” timeshighereducation.co.uk. Aug 7 2014. June 8 2015.Web.Watson, Ben.” Students Turn to Crowdsourcing to Fund College Tuition.” http://www.wmcactionnews5.com/story/29269531/students-turn-to-crowdsourcing-to-fund-college-tuition. June 8 2015. June8 2015. WebZakowicz, Halina. “Can You Make Money Through Crowdsourcing?” http://www.ivetriedthat.com/2012/07/02/can-you-make-money-through-crowdsourcing/. July 2 2012. June 8 2015. Web.