How Low is Low? Crowdworker Perceptions of Microtask Payments in Work versus Leisure Situations

Getting paid for completing microtasks online via crowdsourcing (i.e., microworking) has become a widely accepted way to earn money. Despite disputes over low pay rates, however, little is known about the extent of “lowness” and about the perceptions of microworkers concerning the value of micro-paid online activity. In an online survey on a microtask crowdsourcing platform, respondents demonstrated the dual attitudes of work and leisure toward microworking. Although actual wage rates were lower than microworkers expected, the perceived value of the money earned from microworking was paramount. The monetary equivalent, a newly developed metric calibrating microworkers’ subjective evaluations of monetary and nonmonetary dimensions, of microworking outstripped that of alternative activities, the majority of which were leisure activities. Instead of struggling with below-expectation pay rates, microworkers tend to appreciate the value of small gains, especially in contrast to potential losses incurred by alternatives activities.