Definitions and Mapping the Landscape in the Collaborative Economy

This argument is much cited in the literature and rests on altruistic ideas about the motivations of actors to address consumerism and “do good”. However, we feel compelled to offer a counter view to this argument. Frictionless transactions at minimal or no cost in the collaborative economy have created incentives for those with capital to invest. Investment properties and other goods are purchased for the purpose of offering them in the collaborative economy on a commercial basis. Not only does this allow the provider to bypass normal regulatory processes (e.g. land use planning, consumer protections, etc.) but lower transaction costs make the product or service highly competitive especially in price-sensitive markets. Thus, incentives exist for commercial motives to be foregrounded and collaborative/sharing motives become less important in the market-mediated digital collaborative economy.