"Wikipedia With Everything"

I learned a lot about the term "crowdsourcing" this week, and I learned it all from Jeff Howe. In an article that focuses on the design industry, Howe poses the question of whether or not crowdsourcing is evil. As this was my first exposure to the term, after reading this piece I was leaning toward "evil," however it did seem like a great way for designers to practice and possibly become successful in an industry in which they were previously unknown. That said, with my limited knowledge, crowdsourcing seemed unfair: an easy way for companies to receive a lot of great work while incurring minimal wage expense.

Then I watched a video where Howe explains more about crowdsourcing. He states that crowdsourcing "doesn't eradicate business, it just changes it dramatically." He also describes it as "Wikipedia with everything." Maybe crowdsourcing isn't so terrible. Wikipedia has certainly changed the way we all get information, so it would make sense for other areas of our lives to change in a similar fashion. Maybe this is just the latest way social media is changing the way we operate on a regular basis.

While I am not sold on the fact that crowdsourcing is evil, I question whether it will really take off as Howe predicts. I wouldn't be surprised if individuals answering the open calls of crowdsourcing eventually use social media to organize and demand more equitable means of compensation than the "contests" Howe mentions. I also think that crowdsourcing could present difficulties in areas such as communication and relationships, and I wonder if companies will find that dealing with such difficulties is worth the cost savings. Hopefully Howe will keep us updated.