Science. Technology. Innovation

Abstract

This paper investigates the phenomena of "crowdsourcing", or the outsourcing of tasks to the general internet public. This phenomenon was made possible by tech- nological innovations associated with "Web 2.0" but is evidence of historically sig- nificant change in the relations between firms and their customers. We are witness- ing the emergence of a new consumer type: the "working consumer". In the con- ventional role, consumers were passive “kings” to be waited upon. Consumers now are becoming more like co-workers 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.