Blais quoted in BDN article on rise of online crowdsourcing
Joline Blais, a new media professor at the University of Maine, spoke with the Bangor Daily News for the article, “What does the rise of online crowdsourcing mean to local communities?” According to the article, some Mainers believe the increase in personal fundraising and crowdsourcing websites can have a downside, and Blais said she has long been intrigued by such websites. “With crowdfunding sites, it’s usually about contributing money,” she said. “I think that something gets lost there when money is the answer to the problem, and people are not the answer. That’s a problem in a lot of different parts of our culture. Our solution always seems to be money.” Blais said a better alternative may be the websites that aim to bring people together in real life, not just in the virtual one, the article states. “I think the Internet and cellphones and technology work best when they encourage real things to happen in the real world,” she said. “When we solve our problems locally, we have more happiness, more connection.”