Crowdsourcing (W4)

 After lurking in this week's discussion board for a few days, I got curious to learn more about crowdsourcing. I went with my gut and chose to read "Evaluation on crowdsourcing research: Current status and future direction" by Zhao and Zhu (2014). The only related term I had ever heard about was "crowdfunding" and that was in the context of esports. 

"Crowdsourcing" can be thought of as any organization calling upon its consumers to help with some sort of project or function. Consumers often do it for incentives (money, perks, recognition, status, etc.), but there are instances where it is done for no compensation. This relates closely to what we have already learned and read so far this summer; produsers of the Web 2.0 don't just consume content. They're actively shaping and creating it.

One point in the article that I immediately related to today's world was that crowdsourcing can be competitive and collaborative. Companies can explicitly host contests and challenges to help solve their issues, or they might rely on ongoing contributors to curate information, like Wikipedia. What I found even more interesting was that crowdsourcing doesn't necessarily start with the organization anymore. Today, produsers will gather around something they care about and see where it goes, whether or not the organization is paying attention. Think of gamers building massive mod libraries, Reddit threads diagnosing product flaws before support teams can respond, or TikTok users reshaping a brand’s image in real time. These are organic crowdsourcing systems born out of interest, not instruction.

Like we have learned already, organizations are no longer the only ones who are in charge of innovating or influencing; produsers are. Passion, not policy, is what drives much of today’s crowdsourced energy.

I leave you with this question: how can (or should) organizations adapt when crowds move without them?

Comments

  1. nickinickelzJune 8, 2025 at 6:39 PM

    Your point about users gathering around something they care about, usually before organizations even notice, is so true. I think your question at the end is key. I’d argue that the smartest organizations will shift from trying to control the crowd to listening, supporting, and learning from it. If they can tap into that energy without stifling it, they stand to benefit enormously. Thanks for the insight and the question to keep pondering!

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    Replies
    1. JackJune 14, 2025 at 4:16 PM

      Thank you for the comment and kind words! When I reflect on the last question, I can't help but think of all the times when companies in recent history have done things they *thought* was a good idea, but it completely backfired. It's definitely a thin line that has to be toed!

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