COVER STORY / S PH OL A IRTI INCGS E C O N O M Y
Sharing is the new economy TO SOME, A SHARING ECONOMY IS A SOCIALIST’S PROMISED LAND, TO OTHERS IT’S A RETURN OF THE WORST FORM OF CAPITALISM. EVEN THOUGH HIGHLY CONTROVERSIAL, IT HAS MANY SUPPORTERS AND IT LOOKS LIKE IT’S HERE TO STAY
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oliday lodging from Airbnb, transport from Uber or Blablacar. Need financing for your invention or petty cash for holiday presents? Try Kickstarter or Kokos.pl. There are even projects that let you swap your clothes, meals and even employees. To paraphrase the popular ad campaign – there’s a website for that. The recent popularity of the sharing economy comes from a few factors. First and foremost, the recent economy crisis made everyone smarter about their spending. When people have less resources they’re bound to share the ones they have. The internet facilitates exchange by serving as a round-the-clock community (or international) ad board. “I’d characterize the sharing economy trend not as a revolution but as a pursuit of achieving something that could be called an ‘optimization of ownership,’” said Jan Gmurczyk, economist at Instytut Obywatelski. “The crisis that affected the economy not only pushed people to manage their money wiser, but it also affected ideas and concepts behind the modern economy. People became more critical of it. In such conditions, new ideas for the economy are gaining traction,” Gmurczyk added. As resources and environmental capacity continue to be stretched, younger generations choose to live more minimalist lifestyles, opting for money-saving frugality rather than the posh style. On the other hand, it created opportunities for many to earn money from things they already own. Renting a car or a room in their apartment has become easier than ever thanks to the internet and social media sharing. “Solutions such as Uber or Airbnb show that it’s very easy to build simple solutions in the digital world for effective use of existing resources. The global reach of the digital market results in better and more efficient use of resources, and the price of available resources continues to fall, since less and less added value is derived by intermediaries,” said Jerzy Kalinowski, partner, head of information, communi-
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cations & entertainment industry in KPMG in Poland and CEE. At times, a sharing economy is a matter of survival in a world hit hard by economic austerity. The Spanish version of the community exchange system, a modern day webbased bartering network, has a whopping 213 community exchange networks nationwide. The next country on the list, the United States, has 118 networks. It’s important to remember that youth unemployment in Spain is above 50 percent. Young people are desperate just to make it by without the help of their parents, hence a barter system is a natural remedy for their current ills. The community exchange system is alive and well in Poland’s capital of Warsaw where Wymiennik.org has 3,000 members. Thanks to the internet and easy access to both consumers and providers, the sharing economy is growing exponentially. Consultancy PwC estimates that the market is currently worth $15 billion and will reach $335 billion by 2025. Mi casa es su casa Hospitality is one of the staples of the sharing economy; from the apartment sharing website Airbnb to Couchsurfing, which has 9 million members worldwide and is active in 120,000 cities. It’s almost impossible not to find a host. The service is very popular in Poland. The capital city of Warsaw has over 12,000 active members. Couchsurfing, and other websites such as Bewelcome. org, allow willing hosts to offer a bed, a room or just some floor to sleep on. The traveler can respond with hospitality at a different time and place, but doesn’t have to. Couchsurfers exchange not only a place to stay, but also help their guests giving tips on places worth visiting, take them to events, etc. It’s not only a hospitality service but also a social experience. On the other hand, in some circles couchsurfing has been dubbed “sexsurfing.”