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I never got why Uber would be part of a sharing economy. Sharing economy is about sharing underutilized resources, in other words, fully utilizing expensive as

I never got why Uber would be part of a sharing economy. Sharing economy is about sharing underutilized resources, in other words, fully utilizing expensive assets by spreading usage across a larger number of users. The focus here is on the asset, not the service. AirBnB? Check, that's sharing economy, you're clearly increasing usage of an underutilized asset (your home when you travel, or your spare bedroom), although there are exceptions (those who buy a place to rent on AirBnB like a hotel). TaskRabbit? Nope. Uber? Nope. That's just the service economy, nothing new to see here folks.

nhaehnle 11y ago
Even AirBnB isn't sharing though, in the traditional sense of the word. This should be obvious when you compare it to CouchSurfing, which is genuinely about sharing. I would argue that the way it's traditionally understood, sharing is something that happens between equals, or people who have an intention of becoming equals. "Let me share some advice with you" is fundamentally about a relationship between equals or possibly a relationship between people who are not exactly equals in some aspect, but either feel like they belong to some common in-group or like they will be equals eventually. From this perspective, it's obvious that CouchSurfing is sharing while AirBnB isn't: on AirBnB, the expectation is that there is a split between the seller and the buyer; on CouchSurfing, there is a shared identity of "travelers" and an expectation of reciprocity. Let me also point out that by your own definition of how you use the word sharing, it's not so clear why you wouldn't call Uber a sharing service. After all, somebody might decide that their car is an underused asset which should be "shared". (Hold on, you say, those people are also selling their labor? Well, so do AirBnB hosts when they clean the room after you stayed in it...). tl;dr: Your conclusions don't actually follow from your implied definition of sharing, and your definition of sharing doesn't match the general feeling that the word evokes.
- bmir-alum-007 11y ago
  Also: Freecycle and Popcorn Time# (and BitTorrent, both legal and illegal uses). # "Theft" is part of the economy too, with a purchase price of zero.
  - collyw 11y ago
    Don't confuse copyright infringement with theft. https://www.quora.com/Intellectual-Property-Law/Is-copyright-infringement-theft?share=1 https://www.quora.com/Intellectual-Property-Law/Is-copyright...
- ucaetano 11y ago
  Guess I should have made my definition of "sharing" more explicit: Share: have a portion of (something) with another or others. I never said sharing should be free. Carrier share towers (for fees), companies share office buildings, warehouses, etc. "I would argue that the way it's traditionally understood, sharing is something that happens between equals, or people who have an intention of becoming equals." Well, that's your definition. We can spend the rest of our lives arguing about definitions. "From this perspective, it's obvious that CouchSurfing is sharing while AirBnB isn't: on AirBnB, the expectation is that there is a split between the seller and the buyer; on CouchSurfing, there is a shared identity of "travelers" and an expectation of reciprocity." So, by my definitions, AirBnB is sharing, so is CouchSurfing. "by your own definition of how you use the word sharing" Again, you're implying a different definition of sharing than I'm using (or even that the dictionary uses). "somebody might decide that their car is an underused asset which should be "shared"" The car yes, but you're not paying for usage of the car, you're paying for a transportation service. "Well, so do AirBnB hosts when they clean the room after you stayed in it...)." That's asset maintenance. Someone driving a car isn't asset maintenance, it's a service. And that's even charged separately, usually (as a "cleaning fee"). "tl;dr: Your conclusions don't actually follow from your implied definition of sharing, and your definition of sharing doesn't match the general feeling that the word evokes." Not only you wrongly implied my definition of "sharing", which I actually took from a dictionary, but you also didn't understand the difference between usage of assets and labor services. Another way to look at it is: what's the main cost component? Is it return on assets or labor? - Uber: labor - TaskRabbit: labor - AirBnB: return on asset
  - cloudsloth 11y ago
    Uber requires a significant investment - a new car.
    - ucaetano 11y ago
      Nope, not significant at all, you can lease a reasonable, "uberable" car for way less than $200/month (which already includes depreciation). If the car is used on Uber for (a very conservative estimate) of 20 hours per week, ~150 hours per month, that's about $1/hour in asset costs. Let's say maintenance and what not costs another 50% of that plus another 50% of whatever, we're still talking $2/hour in asset costs, which is far less than minimum wage.
pm24601 11y ago
I agree, except AirBnB means you are expected to operate a mini-hotel (without the protections of a hotel). Clean room, fresh towels, etc.... AirBNB = you are renting. Notice you are operating without the protections of a landlord (i.e. landlords have formal leases) Notice you are operating without the protections of a hotel (i.e. hotels have as part of their contract a statement that hotel guests are not renters no matter how long the guest stays - read the contract on the back of every hotel door; it is there for this very important reason.) This is IMPORTANT. In most states if a person stays a certain number of contiguous days (~30days), has a key - they become a renter de jure. And renters cannot be evicted without a formal eviction process. AirBnB doesn't sound very "sharing" now does it?
- ucaetano 11y ago
  "I agree, except AirBnB means you are expected to operate a mini-hotel (without the protections of a hotel)." Not necessarily, you can just rent a basic room with nothing else, some people do. But I agree with you on the point of the law, that's a tricky issue, but easily solvable by changing laws. But in the end, like my Uber example, the largest part of the cost is still the asset compensation, not the additional services.

nhaehnle 11y ago

Even AirBnB isn't sharing though, in the traditional sense of the word. This should be obvious when you compare it to CouchSurfing, which is genuinely about sharing. I would argue that the way it's traditionally understood, sharing is something that happens between equals, or people who have an intention of becoming equals. "Let me share some advice with you" is fundamentally about a relationship between equals or possibly a relationship between people who are not exactly equals in some aspect, but either feel like they belong to some common in-group or like they will be equals eventually. From this perspective, it's obvious that CouchSurfing is sharing while AirBnB isn't: on AirBnB, the expectation is that there is a split between the seller and the buyer; on CouchSurfing, there is a shared identity of "travelers" and an expectation of reciprocity. Let me also point out that by your own definition of how you use the word sharing, it's not so clear why you wouldn't call Uber a sharing service. After all, somebody might decide that their car is an underused asset which should be "shared". (Hold on, you say, those people are also selling their labor? Well, so do AirBnB hosts when they clean the room after you stayed in it...). tl;dr: Your conclusions don't actually follow from your implied definition of sharing, and your definition of sharing doesn't match the general feeling that the word evokes.

bmir-alum-007 11y ago
Also: Freecycle and Popcorn Time# (and BitTorrent, both legal and illegal uses). # "Theft" is part of the economy too, with a purchase price of zero.
- collyw 11y ago
  Don't confuse copyright infringement with theft. https://www.quora.com/Intellectual-Property-Law/Is-copyright-infringement-theft?share=1 https://www.quora.com/Intellectual-Property-Law/Is-copyright...
ucaetano 11y ago
Guess I should have made my definition of "sharing" more explicit: Share: have a portion of (something) with another or others. I never said sharing should be free. Carrier share towers (for fees), companies share office buildings, warehouses, etc. "I would argue that the way it's traditionally understood, sharing is something that happens between equals, or people who have an intention of becoming equals." Well, that's your definition. We can spend the rest of our lives arguing about definitions. "From this perspective, it's obvious that CouchSurfing is sharing while AirBnB isn't: on AirBnB, the expectation is that there is a split between the seller and the buyer; on CouchSurfing, there is a shared identity of "travelers" and an expectation of reciprocity." So, by my definitions, AirBnB is sharing, so is CouchSurfing. "by your own definition of how you use the word sharing" Again, you're implying a different definition of sharing than I'm using (or even that the dictionary uses). "somebody might decide that their car is an underused asset which should be "shared"" The car yes, but you're not paying for usage of the car, you're paying for a transportation service. "Well, so do AirBnB hosts when they clean the room after you stayed in it...)." That's asset maintenance. Someone driving a car isn't asset maintenance, it's a service. And that's even charged separately, usually (as a "cleaning fee"). "tl;dr: Your conclusions don't actually follow from your implied definition of sharing, and your definition of sharing doesn't match the general feeling that the word evokes." Not only you wrongly implied my definition of "sharing", which I actually took from a dictionary, but you also didn't understand the difference between usage of assets and labor services. Another way to look at it is: what's the main cost component? Is it return on assets or labor? - Uber: labor - TaskRabbit: labor - AirBnB: return on asset
- cloudsloth 11y ago
  Uber requires a significant investment - a new car.
  - ucaetano 11y ago
    Nope, not significant at all, you can lease a reasonable, "uberable" car for way less than $200/month (which already includes depreciation). If the car is used on Uber for (a very conservative estimate) of 20 hours per week, ~150 hours per month, that's about $1/hour in asset costs. Let's say maintenance and what not costs another 50% of that plus another 50% of whatever, we're still talking $2/hour in asset costs, which is far less than minimum wage.

pm24601 11y ago

I agree, except AirBnB means you are expected to operate a mini-hotel (without the protections of a hotel). Clean room, fresh towels, etc.... AirBNB = you are renting. Notice you are operating without the protections of a landlord (i.e. landlords have formal leases) Notice you are operating without the protections of a hotel (i.e. hotels have as part of their contract a statement that hotel guests are not renters no matter how long the guest stays - read the contract on the back of every hotel door; it is there for this very important reason.) This is IMPORTANT. In most states if a person stays a certain number of contiguous days (~30days), has a key - they become a renter de jure. And renters cannot be evicted without a formal eviction process. AirBnB doesn't sound very "sharing" now does it?

ucaetano 11y ago
"I agree, except AirBnB means you are expected to operate a mini-hotel (without the protections of a hotel)." Not necessarily, you can just rent a basic room with nothing else, some people do. But I agree with you on the point of the law, that's a tricky issue, but easily solvable by changing laws. But in the end, like my Uber example, the largest part of the cost is still the asset compensation, not the additional services.