Social-media based projects suffer a version of the free-rider problem that I call the front-rider problem. You’ll get a lot of contributors for the front-end part of the project, but sharp drop off towards the tail-end so 1-2 coordinators end up doing the backstopping.
Conversation
In practice, because of this effort such projects don’t aim deep. Whether they aim high (classifying galaxy photos for NASA) or low (shitposting meme variants), they always aim shallow. So they rarely take on tasks that require deeper collective follow through.
1
1
11
Working to reshape incentives to fix front-riding. Unlike free-riding, it’s not a moral or incentives failure but a coordination failure. The intent and interest in deep follow through is there, but the mechanisms past the first shallow process stages is too weak to do much.
2
2
8
Replying to
Crowds 2020 are not crowds 1940. They easier they assemble the less they remain. Crowdsourcing is not Crowd Sourcing
Replying to
there needs to be some form of "project equity" sharing based on an hours-contributed calculation, maybe weighted by other-collaborators-ranked impact?
I.e. your time/effort guarantees at least some equity, while others can judge how crucial it was to the overall success, …
1




