STouW logo rid

Dear readers,
today I would like to share with you a reflection about the so called “Sharing economy” a new way of life in many expert’s opinion.

I believe we need to start not consider it a “new way” or a “new system”, but a global way of life. I completely agree to what is reported on the New York Times article  “Sharing Economy Faces Patchwork of Guidelines in European Countries” published the 21st of September 2014 where Adolfo Mesquita Nunes, the Portuguese secretary of state for tourism, said his government had studied the response to Airbnb in places like Barcelona and Amsterdam and concluded that “in a digital world, this is an unstoppable movement”.

Thanks to internet the sharing economy is arrived in every country and in every sector of our life, but the economic crisis is, in my opinion, the main reason for its growth.  The Sharing Economy includes the shared creation, production, distribution, trade and consumption of goods and services by different people and organisations ( Matofska, Benita. “What is the Sharing Economy?”. www.thepeoplewhoshare.com. The People Who Share Blog. Retrieved 29 July 2014). 

Co-working, co-creation, crowd funding, car sharing, co-housing are only few examples of what is included, but even more important analyzing each one of them it is very easy to see how much past habits are involved with this “new” movement.

sharing economy

The real innovation is  the co-creation: a form of economic strategy that emphasizes the generation and ongoing realization of mutual Company-Customer value. It views markets as platforms for firms and active customers to share, combine and renew each other’s resources and capabilities to create value through new forms of interaction, service and learning mechanisms. (Wikipedia).

Coworking is a style of work that involves a shared working environment, often an office, and independent activity. Unlike in a typical office environment, those coworking are usually not employed by the same organization.  (Foertsch, Carsten (2011-01-13), The Coworker’s Profile).

In Italy, for example, there are shared spaces generally for youths where is possible to play, to discover the arts and where to learn how to do manual work.

Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising monetary contributions from a large number of people, typically via the internet (Oxford Dictionary Definition of Crowdfunding”. Retrieved July 23, 2014).

Doesn’t it remind the way charities and not profit always did their projects, except for the internet side?

A cohousing community is a type of intentional community composed of private homes supplemented by shared facilities. The community is planned, owned and managed by the residents – who also share activities which may include cooking, dining, child care, gardening, and governance of the community.  Common facilities may include a kitchen, dining room, laundry, child care facilities, offices, internet access, guest rooms, and recreational features.

The cohousing is one of the most ancient why of life at least for students in UK, USA and Australia where during the college time there is the habit to live inside the campus with all the other students, from different place of the country.

Carpooling (also car-sharing, ride-sharing, lift-sharing and covoiturage), is the sharing of car journeys so that more than one person travels in a car. (Wikipedia)

Have you ever planned trip with some friends and split the cost of the fuel? This is the concept.

sharing economy image

The economic crisis has increase the needs of savings and all the aspects of the life listed above are in some way linked to save money and  have a more open social life.

Interested to know more about Sharing Economy?
Stay tuned, the best is yet to come! :)

Sara