Crowdsourcing. Blurring the boundaries of the organization and work
Résumé
Consciously or unconsciously, an army of Internet users participates every day in crowdsourcing activities. The crowd thus provides the necessary resources, such as knowledge, time and skills, to solve an organization’s problems. Crowdsourcing consists in outsourcing tasks to large networks of Internet users. The activities entrusted to the crowd are varied: creating a new design, translating the Web, monitoring surveillance cameras, etc. However, this crowd activity is not necessarily paid. Crowdsourcing is therefore not considered either a volunteer activity or a real job. This article examines the blurring of the boundaries of work and organizations generated by crowdsourcing. The research is based on case studies and summarizes the main strengths and weaknesses of crowdsourcing for its participants. As a result of our evaluation and as an echo to our qualitative and exploratory study, we offer specific recommendations for the design of socially responsible crowdsourcing practices.