Crowdsourcing as a Mobile Service - Case Study: Publishing Photography

Crowdsourcinga method for companies to utilize the power of the crowd through internet-based platformsis a relatively new phenomenon. When offered as a mobile service, crowdsourcing transcends the spatial, temporal and contextual barriers of traditional job requirements, offering an ubiquitous service and access, and providing a suite of both utilitarian and hedonic functions. IS literature indicates that users’ extrinsic motivation is a stronger determinant to use utilitarian systems, while intrinsic motivation is a stronger determinant for hedonic systems. However, when the crowdsourced service, such as photography, is both hedonic and utilitarian by nature, users’ perceptions of the service are unclear. Earlier research reports mixed results: while some studies suggest that tangible rewards can have a negative impact on the intrinsic motivation, other studies suggest the opposite. Hence, our study focuses on how the users perceive mobile crowdsourcing services, what motivates them to participate, and how the financial reward affects their intention to participate. In this paper, we outline an ongoing study of a company in the Finnish publishing industry. After interviews with the company executives, we will next conduct a series of interviews with the users with the aim of gaining rich, in-depth understanding of their motivations. Then, in a later stage, we will conduct a quasi-experiment to test the developed theoretical model.