Crowdsourcing
Definition
The practice of obtaining information or input into a task or project by enlisting the services of a large number of people, either paid or unpaid, typically via the Internet.
Deep Dive
Crowdsourcing is a strategic approach where an organization outsources a task, problem, or project, traditionally performed by employees or contractors, to an undefined and large group of people (the "crowd") via an open call, typically over the internet. This method leverages the collective intelligence, diverse skills, and distributed effort of a global community to achieve specific objectives. Tasks can range from data collection and content creation to problem-solving, design, and even scientific research, often at a lower cost and faster pace than traditional methods.
Examples & Use Cases
- 1Wikipedia, where content is created and maintained by a global volunteer community
- 2Duolingo users translating texts as part of their language learning process, which also generates commercial translation services
- 3Foldit, a video game where players contribute to scientific research by solving protein folding puzzles.