I work in a world where everything I use has been created by people with the intention of sharing their talents. We call this Open Source. It represents the freedom of code, ideas, and solutions. And just to be clear, this doesn’t necessarily mean free of monetary gain. Some would be surprised to know that even Apple Macs are running on an Open Source version of Linux. We all have to eat.
But I lived in this world assuming it could only exist for the intangibles. I am delighted to find out that our way of life is growing into what has been coined Collaborative Consumption. Now people are sharing cars, bikes, homes, money, and much more! My only wonder, where did this start? Is it intrinsic to our nature to not be greedy after all?
WHAT’S MINE IS YOURS from rachel botsman on Vimeo.
A ‘Big Shift’ from the 20th century, a time defined by hyper-consumption, to a 21st century age of Collaborative Consumption, is underway.
Collaborative Consumption describes the rapid explosion in traditional sharing, bartering, lending, trading, renting, gifting, and swapping redefined through technology and peer communities. www.collaborativeconsumption.com
It is the subject of a new book, What’s Mine is Yours: The Rise of Collaborative Consumption, by Rachel Botsman and Roo Rogers.