Like this:

Ok, so really “galore” is too strong of a word, but it made the title happier, yes? Regardless, I do have two presentations this week over my research on the Uncultured Project.

The first is at Kansas State Anthropology Club’s Sapien Symposium, and the second is in Digital Ethnography. Although in both I will be presenting on my current research, the difference is that in the former I have 15 minutes, whereas in the latter I have 5 minutes. Yikes, right?

Although the thought of condensing a 15 minute presentation down to 5 minutes is a little terrifying, I welcome the challenge because it will force me to pick out the main, most crucial elements of Shawn’s story…which will probably be extremely beneficial when it comes down to the video.

Anyway, both of the presentations have turned  into me telling his story, but with a slight twist of what I had originally imagined. In the beginning, I envisioned telling his *full* story, which included going into detail about who he’s helped and how he’s helped. In a sense, I was focusing on the individual people affected, instead of the bigger what-does-this-say-about-humanity picture. Instead, I’m still planning on telling his full story, but with focus on everyone affected–both the YouTube community and Bangladeshi community, and the implications that arise. ((Rereading this last sentence I realized how incoherent I sound, but bear with me because I can’t seem to articulate what I mean. Hopefully by the end you will have some clarity as to my intentions. Hopefully.))

For those of you who are not going to be able to attend the presentations, here is a quick overview of what I intend to cover…

((I switch tenses so if you are an English major, be forewarned))
I plan on starting with a story that compelled Shawn to help others. Then, I give a little background on Shawn which will make the picture from the story directly connect with his desire to help. Knowing that he wants to help, I will talk about his initial plans on how to change the world, which don’t have anything to do with going to Bangladesh. From there I move to the lecture that changed the trajectory of his life (cue Dr. Jeffrey Sachs). At this time, Shawn realizes an important shift in where our generation obtains news and it doesn’t involve reading a book. Instead, it involves social media. Except at this time people don’t realize the great potential of these new tools, as evidenced by videos such as “Leave Britney Alone.” Instead of being a platform to get messages out, YouTube is being utilized as a video storehouse. Regardless, these viral videos are doing something that charity organizations lack: they connect with us. Fully aware of this, Shawn wanted to make videos about global poverty that would connect with us, and without making us feel guilty.  By using these new social media platforms he does just that. People love this. And they beg to donate. Shawn is convinced and opens a PayPal account. Donations flow in heavily. He decides to show people who there money is going to, and how it is being used. PEOPLE.LOVE.THIS. As such, he’s successfully connected the communities of the rich and poor (YouTube and Bangladesh). But moreover, he’s connecting the community within Bangladesh as well. This is illustrated with the picture of Saiful Islam and the story of the sand pond filter. Knowing that this new mode of giving, this transparent mode of giving, is highly successful, I set out to figure out *why* (from the YouTube community) and what they feel the future of philanthropy is. The answer: only time will tell.

One important thing to note is that this is the summary of my 15 minute presentation. The 5 minute one will definitely be a challenge, as I will really have to sort through and wonder about relevance.

Should be a fun time!

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