Paper Number

2156

Paper Type

Short

Abstract

This short paper challenges the widespread assumption that microtasking is low-skilled work. We offer an alternative reading of microtasking from an “expertise” perspective and reveal the complex, often overlooked skills and meta-capabilities involved in maintaining a worthwhile microtasking workflow. By drawing on relational and temporal notions of expertise, we explore the dynamics that foster and/or challenge the development, organization, and recognition of expertise on microtasking platforms. We illustrate four such dynamics in the case of Amazon Mechanical Turk: platform wayfaring, temporal engrossment, relational capricity, and bounded recognition. The paper emphasizes that although crucial, the skills and expertise involved in microtasking work are rarely recognized as legitimate professional expertise, thus limiting workers’ career development, and perpetuating the undervaluation of their work. This is a step in a broader project to call for a re-evaluation of what constitutes expertise in the evolving digital economy.

Comments

04-Work

Download

Share

COinS
Best Paper Nominee badge
 
Dec 15th, 12:00 AM

Flows and Flaws of Expertise in Microtasking Platforms: The Case of Amazon MTurk

This short paper challenges the widespread assumption that microtasking is low-skilled work. We offer an alternative reading of microtasking from an “expertise” perspective and reveal the complex, often overlooked skills and meta-capabilities involved in maintaining a worthwhile microtasking workflow. By drawing on relational and temporal notions of expertise, we explore the dynamics that foster and/or challenge the development, organization, and recognition of expertise on microtasking platforms. We illustrate four such dynamics in the case of Amazon Mechanical Turk: platform wayfaring, temporal engrossment, relational capricity, and bounded recognition. The paper emphasizes that although crucial, the skills and expertise involved in microtasking work are rarely recognized as legitimate professional expertise, thus limiting workers’ career development, and perpetuating the undervaluation of their work. This is a step in a broader project to call for a re-evaluation of what constitutes expertise in the evolving digital economy.

When commenting on articles, please be friendly, welcoming, respectful and abide by the AIS eLibrary Discussion Thread Code of Conduct posted here.