Module 8 - Mini-Assignment: Wikipedia Edit for Indigenous and DEI Narratives - Ginger Han

Using the Power of Indigenous People in Crowdsourcing

In this module, I focused on promoting indigenous participation, building cultural competence, and ensuring ethical and respectful engagement in the crowdsourcing field. The inclusion of indigenous voices in crowdsourcing and open data contribution is essential for fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion in digital platforms and decision-making processes. Indigenous communities possess unique knowledge, perspectives, and lived experiences that enrich crowdsourced data and contribute to more comprehensive and culturally sensitive solutions. However, indigenous participation in crowdsourcing initiatives often faces barriers related to cultural sensitivity, language accessibility, and equitable representation.

Research and Selection: 

The current situation on the Wikipedia page about crowdsourcing varies, but it lacks comprehensive coverage of indigenous perspectives and participation. It doesn't adequately address the specific ways in which indigenous communities engage with and contribute to crowdsourcing initiatives.

There's no limited coverage of indigenous-led crowdsourcing projects, challenges faced by indigenous participants, or the cultural considerations that shape crowdsourcing practices within indigenous contexts. As a result, the page doesn't fully reflect the diversity of experiences and perspectives within the crowdsourcing community.

To address these gaps, people like editors or contributors can work collaboratively to research and incorporate information about indigenous participation in crowdsourcing initiatives. This may involve sourcing reliable references, consulting with indigenous communities and experts, and ensuring that information is presented in a culturally sensitive and respectful manner.

Ultimately, by adding indigenous diversity to the crowdsourcing Wikipedia page, we can promote a more inclusive understanding of crowdsourcing practices and their impact on diverse communities worldwide. This not only enriches the Wikipedia page itself but also contributes to greater recognition and appreciation of indigenous knowledge and contributions in the digital age.

Critical Analysis: 

Crowdsourcing is the practice of obtaining needed services, ideas, or content by soliciting contributions from a large group of people, typically via the Internet. It leverages the collective intelligence, skills, and resources of a diverse crowd to accomplish tasks or solve problems that may be challenging for a single individual or organization to achieve alone. Crowdsourcing can take various forms, including open innovation, citizen science, crowdfunding, and collective intelligence platforms.

As for the current research on indigenous people's contribution to crowdsourcing, it is a potentially growing area of interest that seeks to understand how indigenous communities engage with and contribute to crowdsourcing initiatives. Some key themes and topics of research include:

(1) Cultural Appropriateness: Examining how crowdsourcing platforms and projects can be adapted to align with indigenous cultural norms, values, and protocols. This includes considerations such as language accessibility, cultural representation, and respectful engagement with indigenous knowledge systems.

(2) Community Empowerment: Investigating how crowdsourcing can empower indigenous communities by providing opportunities for economic, social, and cultural participation. This may involve studying indigenous-led crowdsourcing projects and their impact on community development, self-determination, and well-being.

(3) Traditional Knowledge: Exploring the role of traditional knowledge in crowdsourcing initiatives and its potential contribution to addressing environmental, social, and health challenges. This includes discussions around the ethical implications of sharing indigenous knowledge on crowdsourcing platforms and ensuring that indigenous intellectual property rights are respected and protected.

(4) Indigenous-Led Initiatives: Documenting and analyzing indigenous-led crowdsourcing initiatives that aim to address community needs, preserve cultural heritage, or advocate for indigenous rights. This includes case studies of successful projects, challenges faced by indigenous participants, and strategies for promoting indigenous leadership and ownership in crowdsourcing efforts.

Wikipedia Editing: 

Due to the lack of current studies on engaging indigenous people and their knowledge in crowdsourcing field, I only found one article called Engaging indigenous people as geo-crowdsourcing sensors for ecotourism mapping via mobile data collection: a case study of the Royal Belum State Park, which evaluates the effectiveness of indigenous people's use of mobile collection applications embedded in smartphones for ecotourism asset mapping, influenced by the rise of geo-crowdsourcing activities due to Web 2.0 and widespread GPS integration in smartphones. It also explores the community's local knowledge regarding ecotourism. These findings provide insights into designing mobile geo-crowdsourcing tools for semiliterate and indigenous groups, with implications for various data collection contexts beyond ecotourism.

What I did was introduce this article and its funding to the Wikipedia page as an example of engaging indigenous people and their knowledge in the crowdsourcing field.

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After 1

Then I wrote some bullet points about the importance of introducing indigenous people into crowdsourcing that were from my own perspectives.

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Reflection:

Amplifying indigenous voices in crowdsourcing and open data contribution is not only a matter of equity and social justice but also essential for fostering innovation, sustainability, and inclusive development. Indigenous communities hold invaluable knowledge and perspectives that can significantly enhance the quality and relevance of crowdsourced data, leading to more effective and culturally sensitive solutions. By actively involving indigenous peoples in decision-making processes and digital platforms, we can promote cultural diversity, preserve traditional knowledge, and address longstanding inequalities. Moreover, ensuring that indigenous voices are heard and respected in crowdsourcing initiatives contributes to reconciliation, indigenous rights, and the pursuit of global development goals such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Moving forward, it is imperative to prioritize the empowerment and self-determination of indigenous communities, build equitable partnerships, and uphold ethical principles of respect, reciprocity, and informed consent. By doing so, we can create a more inclusive and sustainable future for all, where indigenous voices are valued, respected, and fully integrated into the digital age.

References:

Idris, N. H., Osman, M. J., Kanniah, K. D., Idris, N. H., & Ishak, M. H. I. (2017). Engaging indigenous people as geo-crowdsourcing sensors for ecotourism mapping via mobile data collection: a case study of the Royal Belum State Park. Cartography and Geographic Information Science, 44(2), 113–127. https://doi-org.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/10.1080/15230406.2016.1195285