Whatever happened to the Sharing Economy?
It might just be getting started now...
I moved to San Francisco in 2012 excited to get involved with the sharing economy. My mindset was, “Own less! Have More!” Fast forward to 2022 and I’m a burned out user of a really expensive vacation home rental site and a taxi app for Prius’ that I used to fist bump the mustache. Sadly, the term ‘Sharing Economy’ tricked all of us into helping create new marketplaces to sell things to strangers - just now with star ratings. Not exactly the revolution I was hoping for.
Why didn’t it work last time?
The previous attempts at sharing are all based on system of rating strangers (black mirror anyone?) For me, sharing really comes down to trust and human connection. Until MyPlace, no sharing network was based on who you actually know.
You might ask, “Who do I really trust and why would I share with them?” For me, it’s real life connections and social bonds that come with them that create trust. I always ask myself, “Who do you know - that I know?” This shared connection holds us both accountable to the implicit social contract.
I want to talk about magic
Once I meet someone - magic happens. That magic is called Social Connection. Through Social Connection, this person ALL OF A SUDDEN becomes part of my tribe and we begin to build an energy together. It’s one of the most potent types of magic in the world and when you learn how to use it, build it, and create it, it will change your life and all those around you.
Social Connections are Trust
Social Connection unlocks things that would never be for rent or sale to strangers with reviews. Yet, with Social Connection all kinds of private things become available to the relationship. Bonds begin to form, capitalism and profit fall away, and magic abounds.
What defines profit versus sharing
Sharing is when pure capitalism isn’t the goal and Social Connection can take over.
Profit
Renting or selling something for more than you pay for it. Example, charging 2x what you pay for a house you set up as a business isn’t home sharing just the same as a driver who is driving an Uber is not car sharing. Profit is when making a buck is the goal.
Sharing
Offering your private home to someone you have a Social Connection with to cover costs, as a gift, for a trade or something else is sharing. As soon as this sharing happens and profit isn’t the motive —> magic ensues. This is why our kindergarten teachers pushed us so hard to “share with your friends.” Sharing makes such profound magic that only a child can understand the vastness of its possibility. This is actaully one the the first lessons we teach to our children as they begin to interact with other children.
Have More Together
No matter who you are or what you have, when you share you have more. Having more without buying anything more is literally magic. Regardless of how much you start with - it’s more. If you have a lot, you’ll have a lot more. If you don’t have much, you’ll still have more when sharing.
At MyPlace we are on a mission to remind the world to share again. Let’s give it another shot. We teach our kids to share but as we get older we become isolated, alone and share less. That’s lame adult stuff! Don’t turn into the grown up you didn’t want to be!
MyPlace represents an idea that if we remove capitalizing on each other from the equation and begin to share with each other, we can bring people back together, build trust, connection and deepen bonds. This is the medicine that is deeply needed right now.
Join a movement around the world of people who share. Start by sharing your place with your friends and help us show the world that together we can all have more.