#slaystill

[waterspinachdith]

Crowdsourcing (mm basic)

What is Crowdsourcing?

The word "crowdsourcing" was coined by a writer called Jeff Howe in a June 2006 story published in Wired Magazine. He proposed the following definition of crowdsourcing: 

"Crowdsourcing is the act of a company or organisation adopting a function previously performed by staff and outsourcing it in the form of an open call to an undefined (and generally huge) network of people." (Howe, 2006)

Crowdsourcing, in essence, is an open invitation for anybody to contribute in completing a task in cyberspace (Brabham, 2008; Howe 2008). The term "anyone" does not always refer to everyone. The criterion for the crowd or those asked to participate, according to Enrique Estellés-Arolas and Fernando González-Ladrón-de-Guevara (2012), must be explicit. They must be able to access the internet and possess information, knowledge, and abilities relevant to the job assigned.

Crowdsourcing is always related with the internet since internet facilities are utilised to collect data from the public in order to cover any location and at any time. According to the findings of Enrique Estellés' (2012) research, persons that participate in crowdsourcing form an association with a variety of traits, heterogeneity, and expertise that is dictated by the needs of the crowdsourcing activity being carried out (Estellés & González, 2012). Although anyone can engage in crowdsourcing, the crowdsourcing implementer expects participants to be knowledgeable about the crowdsourcing theme and to offer data that is reliable and not fabricated.

The crowdsourcing system has been widely used for a variety of objectives. Begin by mapping needs (crowdmapping), then move on to innovation processes, creative and entertainment activities, journalism, crowdfunding, democratic processes, and social movements. Some tangible examples of social movements employing crowdsourcing tactics include:

Harassmap, founded in 2010 by Rebecca Chiao, is an interactive map that collects accounts of abuse suffered by women or other victims. This initiative aims to combat sexual violence in Egypt. 

Kuhonga is a Nairobi-based website that maps corruption. The website allows Kenyans to report corruption situations in real time using mobile applications, email, social media, or the website itself. This website addresses corruption in government, law enforcement, immigration and customs, educational institutions, and companies.

Howe, J. 2006. The Rise of Crowdsourcing. Wired Magazine (Vol. 14, pp.1-4)

Howe, J. 2008. Crowdsourcing: why the power of the crowd is driving the future of business.New York: Crown Business