The Sharing Economy

Abstract

The “sharing economy” has become highly contentious. This chapter takes a broad view, addressing key issues in ongoing debates: terminology, participation, experiences, regulation, discrimination, and inequality. High cultural capital (HCC) participants, who are the majority, see themselves creating a virtuous moral alternative to the conventional market. However, their activities increasingly take place on large for-profit platforms that are resulting in a series of undesirable outcomes. These include pervasive racial and class discrimination, and the generation of inequality. The two largest platforms (Airbnb and Uber) have had adverse effects on urban housing and transportation, which have been the subject of recent regulatory efforts. Ultimately, the dynamism of the sharing economy, and the lack of fixed institutions, norms, and participants, means consumer researchers should be asking critical questions about the sector, its claims of common good, and its impact on social life.

The Rise of Crowd Logistics: A New Way to Co‐Create Logistics Value

“…The sharing economy encompasses new forms of distributed production/consumption with the help of new technology and brings people together in new ways (Avelino et al 2015), with individuals taking on the roles of provider/producer. The sharing economy can be broadly divided into four categories (Schor 2014): recirculation of goods (or secondary markets), increased utilization of assets (rental processes, for example), exchange of services (like time banking), and sharing of productive assets (like cooperatives). It embraces different approaches, practices, and conceptualizations promoting the role of individuals.…”

“…Crowd practices contribute to the contemporary transition toward the sharing economy. The concepts of crowdsourcing and sharing economy are still evolving (Schenk and Guittard 2011) and their definitions vary and overlap (Schor 2014). These new streams are currently at the center of attention for both experts (e.g., Botsman and Rogers 2010;Gansky 2010) and researchers in consumer research and economics (e.g., Belk 2010Belk , 2014Sundararajan 2016).…”

Social Change and the Coming of Post-Consumer Society

“…We note three: "stranger sharing," reliance on digital technologies, and participation of "high cultural capital" consumers (Schor, 2014;Schor and Fitzmaurice, 2015a). We note three: "stranger sharing," reliance on digital technologies, and participation of "high cultural capital" consumers (Schor, 2014;Schor and Fitzmaurice, 2015a).…”

“…The emergence of the "sharing economy," a sprawling entity that ranges from local clothing swaps to the global rental platform Airbnb, has spawned a heated debate between proponents and critics (Schor, 2014). On the one hand, what we call the new sharing economy, also known as "collaborative consumption," is seen as a progressive, disruptive force that makes economies more effi cient and distributes value to consumers (Botsman, 2010;The Economist, 2013;Geron, 2013).…”

Beyond the Shareholder Corporation: Alternative Business Forms and the Contestation of Markets

“…Their technologies are, as Schor argues,`potentially powerful tools for building a social movement [centred] on genuine practices of sharing and cooperation in the production and consumption of goods and services', but`achieving that potential will require democratizing the ownership and governance of the platforms.' 51 Cooperatively owned platforms, on other hand, are structured as common resources and open to 23 external members, 52 enabling those who provide and use services mediated by internet platforms to own and control the platforms themselves. 53…”