Unearth, create, consume, destroy, repeat. That’s the linear equation for a growth-based economy like our own. What happens when you introduce share into the equation, increasing the number of individuals consuming the same product, and reducing the amount of product we need to then destroy? You have thus defined the novel peer-to-peer redistribution market, where what’s mine is yours and what’s yours is ours. It is in direct contrast to our increasingly anachronistic ownership model, and is an economic system that not only helps define the modern generation of consumers, but may be the answer to a progressively resource deficient planet.
Rachel Botsman, a social innovator whose focus is on the power of collaboration through network technologies, calls the budding web of activity “collaborative consumption.” This idea, along with her new book, has been recognized by Time, Wired and TED, and she has become the face and voice of the expanding phenomenon.
RideJoy, a San Francisco-based start-up, is yet another burgeoning company adding to collaborative market success. Ridejoy was created by Kalvin Wang, Randy Pang and Jason Shen, and has joined companies like Zipcar, AirBnB, and Book Mooch as a company that allows users to share what they have with others that need it. In RideJoy’s case, it’s a spot in some one's vehicle, sort of a virtual hitchhiking network.
Users go to the site to either search for a ride to a particular destination or post a space in their own car; Craigslist’s Rideshare meets Couchsurfing. Drivers commonly ask for gas or travel money, and riders are happy to shell it out, considering the higher cost a bus or plane would run them.
“We wanted to help people get where they need to go,” said Shen of the inspiration for RideJoy, “and to have someone to share that great travel experience with.”
One found perk of collaborative consumption, a “side affect” you could say, is its ability to both substantiate and fortify the webbing of a global society. Our surrender to a web-based lifestyle has changed social interaction forever; think Internet dating and wishing Happy Birthday on Facebook; But the rise of collaborative consumption has proven to also bring groups of similar interests closer together.
“Moving us from a culture of me, to a culture of we,” said Botsman in her speech at TED.
With RideJoy, you may be saving a few bucks by sharing a ride, but it is the building of trust and shared experience that strengthens community overall. There is the ability to connect through Facebook, as well as leave reviews and references for both drivers and passengers, the same way you would if you were buying something on Ebay. A live chat feature brings the company to you, shortening the distance between virtual business and user.
Soon, predicts Botsman, our online feedback rating will be just as substantial as our credit rating. It is a way for society to hold one another accountable for insincere actions, keep people honest by way of self-policing, and strengthening our connections as a whole.
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