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Cited by 568Digital Economy and Work TransformationMobile Crowdsensing and CrowdsourcingLegal and Labor Studies

The cultural work of microwork

Open access
Irani, Lilly·2015·New Media & Society
DOI 10.1177/1461444813511926
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Abstract

Crowdsourcing systems do more than get information work done. This paper argues that microwork systems produce the difference between “innovative” laborers and “menial” laborers, ameliorating resulting tensions in new media production cultures in turn. This paper focuses on Amazon Mechanical Turk (AMT) as an emblematic case of microwork crowdsourcing. Ethical research on crowdsourcing has focused on questions of worker fairness and microlabor alienation. This paper focuses on the cultural work of AMT’s mediations: divisions of labor and software interfaces. This paper draws from infrastructure studies and feminist science and technology studies to examine Amazon Mechanical Turk labor practice, its methods of worker control, and the kinds of users it produces.

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  • Technology companies often outsource data-related tasks through BPO firms or platforms that operate across national borders.

    “When technology companies require data-related tasks to support AI development, they often outsource this work through Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) firms [138] or platforms [4, 67] that typically operate across national borders [23].”

    From 'The plan is just survival': Data Work in Kenya and the Regime of Entrapment (2026) · cites this paper as [67]

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Research works printed but not linked: 31

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Authors
Irani, L.
Affiliations
University of California San Diego (US)
Corresponding author
Irani, Lilly
ORCID
Irani, Lilly
Venue
New Media & Society
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Published
2013-11-21
Volume
17
Issue
5
Pages
720-739
ISSN
  • 1461-4448 (ISSN-L)
  • 1461-7315
DOI
10.1177/1461444813511926
OpenAlex
W2118916162
Cited by
568
References
2
Citations by year
2026: 36 · 2025: 110 · 2024: 66 · 2023: 58 · 2022: 62 · 2021: 63 · 2020: 49 · 2019: 41 · 2018: 23 · 2017: 24 · 2016: 21 · 2015: 12 · 2014: 3
FWCI
37.16
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
journals.sagepub.com/page/policies/text-and-data-mining-license (tdm)
Locations
  • New Media & Society (publishedVersion)
  • eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Eli Lilly and Company
  • University of California, San Diego
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Digital Economy and Work Transformation
  • Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Computer Science Applications › Mobile Crowdsensing and Crowdsourcing
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Industrial relations › Legal and Labor Studies
Keywords
microwork, crowdsourcing, Amazon Mechanical Turk, division of labor, workers' control, software interface, infrastructure studies, feminist science and technology studies, worker alienation

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