Congratulations to PhD candidate Martin Lukk on his recent feature in the Washington Post. Lukk’s research (together with Prof. Erik Schneiderhan) addresses the shortfalls of crowdfunding campaigns for addressing systemic inequality. Lukk, who recently co-authored GoFailMe: The Unfulfilled Promise of Digital Crowdfunding, speaks to the highly specialized work of professional fundraising organizations, and how the task of raising money for a good cause often goes awry when taken on by amateurs, as in the case of GoFundMe campaigns. Lukk provides the example of amateur fundraising efforts in response to the 2018 Humboldt Broncos bus crash in Saskatchewan, which ultimately led to a lengthy court process concerning the allocation of funds. The Washington Post article connects such challenges to a recent case of a TikTok influencer raising $400k for an unhoused man.
Martin Lukk is a PhD candidate in the Department of Sociology. Martin’s research interests include politics, inequality, and digital technology. He’s particularly interested in how income inequality shapes political identities and the role of internet platforms in social welfare.