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DOI: 10.1145/1610252.1610258
David Roman
Crowdsourcing and
the Question of Expertise
There is an in inherent weakness to
crowdsourcing that should bother
computer scientists and computer
users alike. It’s the fact there is no
clear difference between “the wisdom of the crowd” and “the mob that
rules.” What’s missing is a measure
of discernment.
The Internet is awash in information that demands selectivity, leading
Newsweek among others to predict
the rise of online experts and reliable information ( http://www.news-
week.com/id/119091). The assessment seems overly optimistic. There
are some efforts to rate expertise on
the Internet ( http://cacm.acm.org/
news/42206), but most of us are left with coping strategies that limit where you
go, what you see, and who you trust. It is not the kind of open investigation that
promotes learning or understanding.
Crowdsourcing doesn’t really help sort through or synthesize information, in
fact, it might do the opposite. Research shows that it favors popular opinion and
therefore reinforces homogeneity ( http://cacm.acm.org/news/42525). That’s not
hospitable to unconventional or idiosyncratic views.
There is an upside, for sure. Luis von Ahn’s GWAP ( http://www.gwap.com/
gwap/about/) uses computer games “to solve problems for humans all over the
world.” And Galaxy Zoo tapped about 250,000 visitors to classify nearly one million galaxies ( http://cacm.acm.org/magazines/2009/10/42492).
Now the downside: The limitations of crowdsourcing are becoming apparent, even to its defenders. Blogger Josh Berkus summarizes key weaknesses,
saying the term is “evil” and carries too much baggage ( http://it.toolbox.com/
blogs/database-soup/never-say-crowdsourcing-34331). In the end he concludes
that the problem is mainly about improper usage. But the issue is bigger than
that. The problem with crowdsourcing is that there is no verity. In fact, “
correctness [is]…anathema to crowdsourced systems” ( http://cacm.acm.org/maga-
zines/2009/7/32094). That’s a small concern when rating movies, but researchers
and scientists need something more.
Science needs higher standards. This was illustrated by Newsweek when it decried science education in the U.S. and showed how “wisdom of the masses” is an
oxymoron. It described how John Holdren, director of the White House Office of
Science and Technology Policy, trades candor for political timidity when discussing science policy ( www.newsweek.com/id/216505). “He must sell his ideas to
people who couldn’t pass high-school algebra—and who believe they know more
than he does.”
Crowdsourcing empowers followers. It risks weakening leaders.
haLL WinS DunCan
DaViES mEDaL
ACM President Dame Wendy
hall received the Duncan Davies
Medal, which is awarded annually
by the research and Development
Society to an individual who
has made an outstanding
contribution toward making
the united Kingdom the world’s
best-performing research and
development environment.
BERman honoRED With
KEn KEnnEDY a WaRD Francine Berman was awarded the inaugural Ken Kennedy Award from ACM and ieee Computer Society for “her influential eadership in the design, development, and deployment
of national-scale cyber-infrastructure.” A vice president
for research at rensselaer
Polytechnic institute, Berman
was recognized for her work as a
pioneer in grid computing and a
leading advocate for the
development of a national-scale
cyberinfrastructure for the
access, use, stewardship, and
preservation of the digital data.
in an email interview,
Berman discussed the current
challenges and opportunities
in cyberinfrastructure. “there
are immense opportunities
that focus on the development
of cyberinfrastructure to drive
innovative solutions for some
of the most complex and
compelling societal challenges
of our age: health care, energy,
the environment, safety, and
economic stability,” said
Berman. “Some of the greatest
breakthroughs we are now
seeing in these areas come from
the innovative use of computers,
information, sensors, networks,
scientific instruments, and other
21st century tools. the challenge
is to develop a system to support
and deploy cyberinfrastructure
as infrastructure: sustainable
business models, appropriate
standards, low-barrier-to-access
user interfaces, and interoperability. the development
of cyberinfrastructure as
infrastructure truly constitutes a
grand challenge for our age.”
