Un(der)paid Innovators

Abstract

This paper investigates the phenomena of 'crowdsourcing', or the outsourcing of tasks to the general internet public. This phenomenon was made possible by technological innovations associated with 'Web 2.0' but is evidence of historically significant change in the relations between firms and their customers. We are witnessing the emergence of a new consumer type: the "working consumer". In the conventional role, consumers were passive 'kings' to be waited upon. Consumers now are becoming more like coworkers who take over specific parts of a production process, whereby this process ultimately remains under the control of a commercial enterprise. This article seeks a more precise definition of crowdsourcing, catalogues some of its forms, and differentiates them from peripherally related phenomena. It ends with a discussion regarding potential consequences (negative and positive) of crowdsourcing for the future organization of work.