Local tech mediators - a human access point to global crowdfunding platforms

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Volume Title

A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä

Date

2022-10-02

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Mcode

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Language

en

Pages

20

Series

CoDesign, Volume 18, issue 4, pp. 483–502

Abstract

Despite much criticism, global digital platforms hold some promise for small-scale entrepreneurs (SSEs) in the global south. However, they are often excluded from direct participation in global initiatives, such as crowdfunding. Besides socio-cultural disparities, accessibility and adoption issues, technology usage and integration present a major challenge. To bridge those gaps we propose a workable model consisting of a local tech mediator operating on a digital platform connecting local SSE to global digital services. We have engaged a group of informal settlement SSE in Windhoek, Namibia to jointly conceptualise the roles, tasks and responsibilities of a local tech mediator, concurrently with technical skills training as well as the development of an international crowdfunding campaign. We assert that the jointly developed concepts of a local instantiation of the model as well as the co-design process have enabled us to create model, which would allow the utilisation of global digital platforms for SSEs in the global south.

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Publisher Copyright: © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Copyright: Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.

Keywords

crowdfunding, digital platforms, global south, Small-scale entrepreneurship

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Citation

Keskinen, P, Arvila, N, Winschiers-Theophilus, H, Lungameni, A, Kambunga, A P, Laurikainen, R & Nieminen, M 2022, ' Local tech mediators - a human access point to global crowdfunding platforms ', CoDesign, vol. 18, no. 4, pp. 483–502 . https://doi.org/10.1080/15710882.2021.1912776