Summary of the Reading

This paper looks to build a model of crowd work to better understand some of the major challenges that the future of crowd work will face. The paper also collects data and makes suggestions on how to make the future of crowd work better for all those involved. 

One of the main contributions of this paper is building a model to represent crowd work. They do this by using not only theoretical data, but also empirical data that is gathered from both requesters and workers on crowd work websites. This model helps the authors to visualize some of the problems that come from crowd work and allow them to better understand possible solutions.

The paper then goes into depth on 12 research foci that are part of the model. They consider the future of the crowd work processes, crowd computation, and crowd workers. After this, they synthesize these foci into concrete recommendations for the future of the industry, including creating career ladders, improving task design and communication, and facilitating learning.

Reflections and Connections

I think that this paper looks at a very important part of crowd work. Crowd work is a very powerful tool, but if we don’t do it right, it could lead to a terrible future where work is cheepened and workers are not respected. We need to make sure that while this industry is still young that it is shaped in a way that will allow it to be sustainable well into the future. Articles like these are important so that we can know what we need to change now, when the industry is still young so that when it grows up, it can be a great part of the economy. 

I also like that the article has a very optimistic view of crowd work. The technology is very powerful and can allow people to do things that never could have been done without it, or could only have been done at a tremendous cost. If we put in the work to make this industry work well for its users, then we will be able to use crowd work to accomplish many great things and many people will be able to use it to make ends meet or to get an extra income on their own time. Crowd work unlocks new, more efficient ways to accomplish many old goals. 

I also think that the goals laid out in this article will be very good for the industry. The idea of creating career ladders would be extremely beneficial to everyone involved. Many people in traditional jobs only try their best because of the possibility of moving up in the company. So, a job where you can’t move up will make people less invested and less motivated. The idea of introducing better communication would also be great for the industry. There will always be times when a task is poorly worded and a quick email can save hours of wasted time and effort. The facilitation of learning also seems extremely beneficial to everyone involved and would also increase the quality of tasks and results. 

Questions

1. Considering this article was published in 2013, do you think the industry is moving in the right direction?
2. How practical do you think these recommendations are? Are they too ambitious?
3. Which of the recommendations do you think is most important for the industry to implement?