Motivation factors behind engaging crowd in online communities

Abstract

The current research aims to deepen and expand knowledge about motivation factors for crowd to be engaged in digital enhanced communities’ activities. The subject of the research is the online community projects considered as a catalyst for emergence of wisdom of crowd effect. The cases of social innovation oriented online communities, which include collective decision-making tools, new forms of self-regulation and self-governance, were analyzed during the qualitative research process. The participants of digital urban communities, functioning in Lithuania, and communities’ platforms initiators were interviewed face-to-face by implementing qualitative re-search. The analysis of the empirical data revealed 3 different motivation factors groups behind engaging crowd in community activities (material, intellectual and social).