Anything You Can Do, the Crowd Can Do Better

Before watching the YouTube video by Jeff Howe on crowdsourcing and reading the rest of this week's material, I was completely clueless about the definition of the term. What exactly was this concept? An aggregated cloud of open-source material utilized by uninspired businessmen looking for ways to cut costs? There only appeared to be one logical way to get more information: Wikipedia. I then needed an attention grabbing, blog-relevant photo: Picapp.

Those two courses of action are merely a sign of changing times. The Internet has revolutionized the way we communicate, gather/disseminate information, and conduct business. The old business models are failing in light of this new behemoth of connected data cables, high-speed servers and open access. As a print journalism major, the so-called "death of print" and critiques of a dying industry are daunting at best. With small papers closing every week, it's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel in this new digital era.

As frightening as change is, it is still inevitable and shouldn't be viewed with crippling fear. Crowdsourcing is just a new development trying to find its bearings in a continuous, dynamic setting. The model is merely a way for businesses to tap into a previously inaccessible network of motivated freelancers connected through the good ol' social networks of the interweb, much the way that blogs and smaller news sites are reinventing and revitalizing the journalism industry.

Jeff Howe's report on the negative impact that crowdsourcing has had on the design industry and Dan Woods' article about the "myth of the crowd" raise concerns that are typical of the model's growing pains. However, instead of raising up in ire and fear, we should be accepting of the "crowd" and learn how to apply it in a way that doesn't kill industries. The main benefit of crowdsourcing is the availability of content generators with focused, shared interests through social media provide companies with a diverse array of influences and creative potential. We are living in what I would call "The Age of the Amateur." The Internet has made professional opportunities available to millions of people, providing companies with a number of sources that are cheap, yes, but still stimulate industry-wide creativity and productivity. The crowd should not be viewed completely independent of the individual, because both take advantage of the other to create a positive, reciprocal relationship