Got a grand for my cat's gap year? The unstoppable rise of 'I want' crowdfunding

Forget sponsoring Bob in accounts to run a charity marathon: these days you can ask anyone for anything

Iwan Carrington wanted AirPods but he couldn't afford them, and for most 16-year-old boys that's where the story would end. Since their release in December 2016, Apple's 199 wireless Bluetooth earbuds have become a status symbol among teens: after all, only the wealthy can afford tiny, untethered headphones that are so easy to lose. As an ordinary Welsh schoolboy, Carrington wasn't rich enough to buy them, and he was growing increasingly jealous of his friend's pair. So in January this year, he came up with a solution.

With just a few clicks on his computer, Carrington created a page on the crowdfunding website GoFundMe, set a fundraising goal of 100 (he had saved the rest from Christmas), and titled it simply and honestly: "I am desperate for AirPods. Help a brother out." The plea was simple and unvarnished: "I am like any other teenager except I would love some Apple AirPods. I was sat on the bus untangling my earphone wires and thought how great it would be to have AirPods. I ask for any help. Please." The first comment underneath was similarly direct: "This is a shameless act of self-promotion. I totally support it." Eight donors and a few days later, Carrington had raised the money he needed.