Crowdsourcing via Mobile: Evaluating Viability of Data Collection “Gigs ” with iPhone Users

Crowdsourcing is an emerging, non-probability-based sampling and recruitment approach, which seeks to leverage the reach and utility of “crowds” to accomplish data collection-related tasks. Crowdsourcing is defined as “the act of taking a job traditionally performed by a designated agent (usually an employee) and outsourcing it to an undefined, generally large group of people in the form of an open call ” (Howe 2006). The rapid adoption of smartphone and related technologies provide survey researchers with a quick and convenient way of leveraging crowdsourcing approaches. For example, mobile panels can be used to answer surveys and collect information such as location or pictures. Moreover, the approach may be one way to better reach traditionally hard-to-reach demographics (i.e., younger and racial/ethnic groups). Crowdsourcing is a method used by companies and organizations seeking solutions from the public for ideas on technical problems (i.e., computer programming) or marketing strategies (i.e., product campaign). In the past