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Sharing economy has existed well before technology and will outlast Uber and others. When you ask friends to drop you at airport that is sharing. When your aunt

Sharing economy has existed well before technology and will outlast Uber and others. When you ask friends to drop you at airport that is sharing. When your aunt babyseats for you that is sharing economy. Potluck is sharing economy. Economic efficiency through sharing is a great thing for society, it is just that it is hard to get it right at scale but nevertheless we are trying and we will test success sooner or later in some areas.

jaabe 8y ago
I think the sharing economy works well, but I also agree with the article. I just don’t think AirBNB, Uber and the others are the sharing economy. They are platform economies where the platform wins and it’s workers are at a race for the bottom on minimal pay and no rights. We have a Danish app for taking people with you when you travel between towns. This is an aspect where public transportation unfortunately sucks after decades of conservatives in government, but it’s also an area where there is no taxa service or Uber styles thing because it’s too expensive. But sharing the gas price with strangers when you’re going anyway absolutely works. There is a platform for it, but their primary source of income comes from their leasing services. I’d say that is an example of the sharing economy, because it’s actually people sharing and not just some no-workers-rights shithole.
aikah 8y ago
> When you ask friends to drop you at airport that is sharing. And your friend didn't need a professional insurance for his car for that. The difference is scale. Giving a lift from time to time to friends is very different from doing it full time while pretending you are not a taxi.
- geezerjay 8y ago
  The main driving principle of the sharing economy is actually the ability to give a lift from time to time without any bother. The problem is that a number of factors do prevent supply from entering the market, thus the revenue available to established players is high enough to validate working full time.
  - aikah 8y ago
    > The main driving principle of the sharing economy is actually the ability to give a lift from time to time without any bother. Except for people driving for Uber full-time. The whole "grass root sharing economy" Uber style is a masquerade.
    - geezerjay 8y ago
      Some people work for Uber full-time because regulation restricts supply, thus providing the service becomes too profitable and generates enough income to make a living working full time. I also have a hard time trying to see the point of this sort of argument. Are taxi services suddenly bad, and driving a taxi for a living something to frown upon?
      - deleted 8y ago
        [deleted]
      - ionised 8y ago
        > Are taxi services suddenly bad, and driving a taxi for a living something to frown upon? Nowhere did he say or even suggest that. You are making a deliberately uncharitable interpretation of his post in order to weaken the point he was making. All this does though, is weaken yours.
quickthrower2 8y ago
Doing favours for friends is very tax efficient. You basically pay no tax when you give or receive a favour. And let's face it, even though sometimes you might pay a friend to babysit or whatever it is cash in hand and no tax. But the sharing economy requires you to pay from your after tax salary to someone else, who then pays tax on that before they get their pay. On top of that the rent seeker (uber, etc.) has to take their slice. So it's a low paid marginal business once you are being paid.
- KorematsuFred 8y ago
  Yeah absolutely. That is why I do not know how to make it scale. In India often we let the uber driver cancel the ride after sitting in the taxi and pay him in cash thus he makes lot more money. I think a networked society is colliding with a hierarchical government and the result is confusion.
onion2k 8y ago
Your examples are sharing, but not "the sharing economy", because there isn't a third party managing the economic aspect.
- basicplus2 8y ago
  I dont think you are correct.. If a grocer sells you groceries.. that is part of an "economy" and there is no third party
  - onion2k 8y ago
    In that case the third party is the banking system.
    - basicplus2 8y ago
      but banking is involved when i pay for my car costs to give a free ride to aunty may and then the bank is involved when she pays for her vet bill for her chooks when she gives me "free" eggs in payment for the car ride

jaabe 8y ago

I think the sharing economy works well, but I also agree with the article. I just don’t think AirBNB, Uber and the others are the sharing economy. They are platform economies where the platform wins and it’s workers are at a race for the bottom on minimal pay and no rights. We have a Danish app for taking people with you when you travel between towns. This is an aspect where public transportation unfortunately sucks after decades of conservatives in government, but it’s also an area where there is no taxa service or Uber styles thing because it’s too expensive. But sharing the gas price with strangers when you’re going anyway absolutely works. There is a platform for it, but their primary source of income comes from their leasing services. I’d say that is an example of the sharing economy, because it’s actually people sharing and not just some no-workers-rights shithole.

aikah 8y ago

> When you ask friends to drop you at airport that is sharing. And your friend didn't need a professional insurance for his car for that. The difference is scale. Giving a lift from time to time to friends is very different from doing it full time while pretending you are not a taxi.

geezerjay 8y ago
The main driving principle of the sharing economy is actually the ability to give a lift from time to time without any bother. The problem is that a number of factors do prevent supply from entering the market, thus the revenue available to established players is high enough to validate working full time.
- aikah 8y ago
  > The main driving principle of the sharing economy is actually the ability to give a lift from time to time without any bother. Except for people driving for Uber full-time. The whole "grass root sharing economy" Uber style is a masquerade.
  - geezerjay 8y ago
    Some people work for Uber full-time because regulation restricts supply, thus providing the service becomes too profitable and generates enough income to make a living working full time. I also have a hard time trying to see the point of this sort of argument. Are taxi services suddenly bad, and driving a taxi for a living something to frown upon?
    - deleted 8y ago
      [deleted]
    - ionised 8y ago
      > Are taxi services suddenly bad, and driving a taxi for a living something to frown upon? Nowhere did he say or even suggest that. You are making a deliberately uncharitable interpretation of his post in order to weaken the point he was making. All this does though, is weaken yours.

quickthrower2 8y ago

Doing favours for friends is very tax efficient. You basically pay no tax when you give or receive a favour. And let's face it, even though sometimes you might pay a friend to babysit or whatever it is cash in hand and no tax. But the sharing economy requires you to pay from your after tax salary to someone else, who then pays tax on that before they get their pay. On top of that the rent seeker (uber, etc.) has to take their slice. So it's a low paid marginal business once you are being paid.

KorematsuFred 8y ago
Yeah absolutely. That is why I do not know how to make it scale. In India often we let the uber driver cancel the ride after sitting in the taxi and pay him in cash thus he makes lot more money. I think a networked society is colliding with a hierarchical government and the result is confusion.

onion2k 8y ago

Your examples are sharing, but not "the sharing economy", because there isn't a third party managing the economic aspect.

basicplus2 8y ago
I dont think you are correct.. If a grocer sells you groceries.. that is part of an "economy" and there is no third party
- onion2k 8y ago
  In that case the third party is the banking system.
  - basicplus2 8y ago
    but banking is involved when i pay for my car costs to give a free ride to aunty may and then the bank is involved when she pays for her vet bill for her chooks when she gives me "free" eggs in payment for the car ride