What is Crowdsourcing?

There are various definitions of crowdsourcing, as given by the likes of Investopedia, HeroX and Sprout Social. Our is: “Crowdsourcing is the practice of engaging a ‘crowd’ or group to achieve a common goal — often innovation, problem solving, or efficiency.” Our crowdsourcing examples show it can take place on many different levels and across various industries. Thanks to our growing connectivity, it is now easier than ever for individuals to collectively contribute — whether with ideas, time, expertise, or funds — to a project or cause. This collective mobilization delivers the benefits of crowdsourcing.

The crowdsourcing phenomenon provides organizations with access to new ideas and solutions, deeper consumer engagement, opportunities for co-creation, optimization of tasks, and better value/reduced costs. The Internet and social media have brought organizations closer to their stakeholders, laying the groundwork for new ways of collaborating and creating value together like never before.

James Surowiecki’s book “Wisdom of the Crowds” was first published in 2004, and promoted the idea that large groups of people can be smarter than a few individuals, no matter how brilliant they may be. The phrase “crowdsourcing” then first appeared in a Wired article by Jeff Howe in 2006. His book, Crowdsourcing, was published in 2008.

In 2012, The New York Times printed: “Crowds are a hit. Millions of people, connected by the Internet, are contributing ideas and information to projects big and small. Crowdsourcing, as it is called, is helping to solve tricky problems and providing localized information. And with the right knowledge, contributing to the crowd — and using its wisdom — is easier than ever.”

This encapsulates the start of online crowdsourcing as we know it today. However, like many things, crowdsourcing existed way before the digital age of personal computers and smartphones. Check out our full Crowdsourcing Timeline.