Crowdsourcing Platforms: Objective, Activities and Motivation

This article analyzes the relationship that exists among the objectives of crowdsourcing platforms, the types of activities they demand from crowdsourcees and the incentives they provide to obtain collaboration. The 136 platforms that appeared in two previous SLRs carried out by the authors to categorize the types of activities performed and the motivation offered in crowdsourcing projects were separated in seven groups, according to the objective of the activities performed by the crowdsourcees. Microtask activities are present in over 40% of the platforms, showing that individuals may be motivated to collaborate, without developing commitment or even identification with the objectives of the promoting organization. The “financial reward” or the love factor is usually the prevailing motivation factor. However, those two factors tend to be mutually exclusive