This year there’s been an explosion of interest in web-sharing services (aka collaborative consumption), a growing movement that utilizes the power of the web to share, lend and barter as a way to create more economical and sustainable methods of consumption. Nowhere was this more evident than at our own GreenNet conference this past April, where investor Sunil Paul, RelayRides CEO Shelby Clark and Airbnb Chief Product Officer Joe Gebbia were among the speakers discussing this fascinating topic.
Katie takes a look at this fast growing space in an analysis on GigaOM Pro, where she writes:
The ubiquity of the Internet itself and its unique ability to be able to connect people and help them organize goods and their daily lives has led to the rise of the web-sharing economy, which some call collaborative consumption and others call the Mesh. Older Internet pioneers like eBay and Amazon have paved the way for this movement by creating tools to maintain online trust and reputation — a key element of this movement. Feeling comfortable with allowing people in your neighborhood to share your car (like with RelayRides, Spride Share and GetAround) is a crucial part of the web-sharing economy.
While there’s no doubt that web-sharing is generating excitement, it’s also seen some growing pains, as evidenced by recent news about abuse and misuse by those using the service.
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