Crowdsourcing: knowledge decentralization and its impact on production and business models

Active participation of users on the Internet has not only begun to stimulate new production models, but also business models around it. Many companies are beginning to exploit competitive advantages in costs or differentiation, derived from people participation and their willingness to collaborate on various projects, which did not always have an economic return; and when this return exists is often less than required by a professional for the same work. This paper analyzes the phenomenon of crowdsourcing from both sides and the economic and social impact that it has produced during recent years. We begin with a critical approach to Internet consideration as a participative space that empowers individuals and economic agents, given that crowdsourcing foundations are on the network effect, and with a discussion about its advantages and limitations. Later, main features are structured, based on the study of different cases, in order to set three basic patterns depending on crowdsourcing shall be considered either as a business model, as an altruistic collaborative production mean or as an hybrid of the above two.