ABSTRACT
Using crowdfunding as an example in this chapter, we make a case for the increasing ubiquity of finance-technology interactions, and the merging of private and public space in both PR and in different societies across the world. In this public and cross-boundary setting, we position PR practitioners as discourse technologists (Fairclough, 1995) who have powerful impact to shaping such emerging social practices as crowdfunding and other areas in the increasing financialization of the globe. We situate crowdfunding as an epitome of contemporary collective action, which allows for quick and efficient mobilization of financial and non-financial resources through the organization of, and communication with, crowds in open online public spaces (Bimber, Flanagin, & Stohl, 2005). We also show how discourse technologization does not stop at the institutional level but expands across organizational and national boundaries thanks to the prevalence of the Internet and social media. As such, PR should play a more proactive role in producing and promoting common goods by engaging commercial and not-for-profit organizations to participate in prosocial actions. This involves breaking conventional boundaries to invite more human and other resources from various experts and publics, initiating and facilitating grassroots discussions, and training themselves and the public.
