Sharing Economy: Towards a New Culture of Consumption?

Individual possessions and consumption are central characteristics of an economics and a way of living that are oriented towards material prosperity. The premise that a society based on individual consumption holds the promise of happiness has been critically examined for some time now, whether in the findings of happiness research or in the discussion about resource use and a post-growth economy. At many places in the economy and in society alternative forms of ownership and consumption are appearing, often supported by social media or even enabled by them. The present study discusses conceptual perspectives on the so-called “sharing economy” and on “collaborative consumption” and presents the empirical results of a representative survey. As a significant share of the younger generation (14-39) have extended their consumption habits to include the alternative forms investigated in this study, the results show that collaborative consumption is no longer a niche topic and that the sharing economy will continue to grow. Given the potential these new forms of consumption have for promoting sustainability, decision-makers in politics, business and society should create the necessary structures so that the sharing economy and collaborative consumption can develop their potential alongside an economy based on the ownership of private property.