A buck can get a cheap photo from iStockphotoWhen I heard about iStockphoto, I called my photographer friend in Texas, thinking she would be outraged at the idea that companies can buy images for much less than her asking price. Her response was far from it.
"That seems like the ultimate American way," she observed. And she's right. "A work that can be sold is professional, no matter who did it," she said. Even if it's sold for a buck. There's room for her business in the market, no matter how cheap iStockphoto is. That's because she knows her job and she understands her market. Crowds of people may have created more challenges, but her product is high-end enough to attract a solid consumer base.
Crowdsourcing increases competition because more people are offering solutions outside the box. This increases the consumer's power. That's what capitalism is all about. The crowds of people change the dynamics of business, whether that business is graphics or media or pearl diving. To make it big, or to make it at all, everyone is forced to be more creative, build more skills, be more marketable. It's a bloodbath, but it's also more innovative than ever.
Dare I suggest that, rather than whine about crowdsourcing, people need to just... get a little tougher?
Maybe you can get your friend to comment. Hope the doctor visit went well.