Shared economy

Sharing is Caring is a statement used a lot in recent years. This is a beautiful statement don't you think? When you share you can take care of a beautiful world. Sharing is something which is visible in a lot of different markets in recent years. For example the concern Blablacar is sharing cars, the NS has bikes to share, there are bookshelves where you leave and take a book, the online marketplace called Airbnb is sharing accommodations, there are websites where you can exchange tools, you can share many products. But when we look at the bigger scale, sharing is also an upcoming trend. For example factories are sharing their heat with the neighborhood. We try to use things as optimized as possible, want to be efficient and cheap. But is 'Shared Economy' a trending word or is it really the future?

The sharing hype is good in sustainable view, but it also has a value to have something on your own. It is for example more comfortable and feels more free to have something for your own without sharing. You don't have to think about others, however this is not immediately selfish. It is just more easy and more comfortable. But why it is so trending at the moment and why did it not happen so much in the past? Maybe internet made a lot of projects possible. However most of the ideas are made in time of economical crisis. When the crisis is over, will people still make use of it? Sharing is trending at the moment, but does it also work on the long term? It can be something out of your comfort zone, which you only do when you have not much else to choose from. When you have enough money for your own car, bike or books, there is the risk that you will not make use of it anymore. I have the idea that it is a necessity to make use of it, but not something you should choose if you have other options. When the economical crisis is over, will people still make as much use of it as they do now? Maybe the idea is idyllic, the world will look beautiful when we all share, but people use often the most easy way. I hope this will not be the truth and we will be a more ‘sharing and caring’ world in the future, but I am doubtful and think that people do things which are easy and fit in their comfort zone.