University of Twente Student Theses
Communication Style In Online Crowdfunding
Lasschuijt, M. (2019) Communication Style In Online Crowdfunding.
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| Abstract: | Crowdfunding is an internet-based funding method that allows initiators of projects to fund their efforts in the form of pledges of small monetary amounts by a large pool of people. The success of online crowdfunding projects in combination with communication styles are not well studied. Previous studies of online communication on crowdfunding platforms have only focused on the project description and no further way of communication is researched. Although communication on online platforms occurs almost exclusively through written words, little research has addressed how the use of language by the project initiator and the interaction between the project initiator and (potential) funder influence the success of these online crowdfunding platforms. Drawing on a dataset from Kickstarter from the period of March 2018 till March 2019, over 200 Dutch projects with combined funding of over €2 million, this thesis analyses a year of communication platform history, and project description content to assess whether language use differentiates crowdfunding projects. Findings show that communication and interaction are associated with the success of crowdfunding campaigns. We adopt a mixed-method approach combining automated text analysis techniques with multivariate statistical analyses in order to evaluate the utterance of the initiators in the online community. We find that the language usage in the project description does not play a significant role. However, the time between the updates and the frequency of interaction play a positive and significant role in the success of an online crowdfunding campaign. This thesis offers insight into the emerging phenomenon of crowdfunding and sheds light on the ways that the communication style of the initiators may affect their ability to receive financing. We offer contribution to research on communication and online crowdfunding. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Bachelor) |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 05 communication studies, 17 linguistics and theory of literature, 18 languages and literature |
| Programme: | International Business Administration BSc (50952) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/78393 |
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