Crowdsourcing and The Gig Economy
Tina Brown, over at The Daily Beast, wrote a powerful if somewhat negative article last year about ‘The Gig Economy’.
This followed research they did which revealed that nearly a third of Americans do multiple gigs or freelance jobs. It seems that the days of full, dependable, monogamous employment are over – at least for the foreseeable future.
The question is – is this merely a byproduct of the great recession of 2008/9 or something more profound? Tina Brown, who I guess has never been a Gig worker herself, focused heavily on the dark side of the Gig Economy and freelance movement (for the well to do). She perhaps missed the ‘opportunity’.
The opportunity enshrined in the Gig/Freelance Economy is freedom of the individual - making it an important long term trend – not just a short term, depression based hiccup. A growing number of professionals and creatives from all over the world continue to set themselves free from corporate straightjackets to embrace and develop the Gig Economy. ‘Cos they believe in it.
At the same time organizations like blur Group make Gigging a sustainable reality by Crowdsourcing independents and freelancers into virtual (Gig) Crowds/organizations, providing them with peers and helping them find work so that they can enjoy not just the hardships of going out on their own, but ever more of the benefits.
Are you a part of The Gig Economy?
