Collaborative Consumption

Collaborative Consumption

Have you ever rented a DVD from Netflix? Or purchased music   from iTunes or one of the many online companies that are tapping into the “digitalization” of music? Maybe instead of calling to make a reservation for a hotel for last years vacation, you went online and rented a condo on the beach for your get-a-way? If so, then you are a part of a growing trend in American society called collaborative consumption.
Collaborative Consumption is a new term for the rising popularity of sharing, renting, lending, bartering or trading for   goods, services, skills and even space that some say may continue to grow and   change the way America works. Time magazine calls collaborative consumption “one of the top 10 sustainable trends of 2010” and” one if the top 10 ideas that could change the world.” That’s a pretty hefty statement for a term few are familiar with and sounds like the fad of the month. However,   there several big factors that could make Time magazine 150% right.
Just a few years ago, the mind set of our country was to be an “ownership society.” Our financial design was built to support owning. George W. Bush proclaimed during his 2004 campaign that “the more ownership there is in America, the more vitality there is in America.” Sadly, within four short years of that bold campaign promise, the U.S. started a financial downfall that almost ruined the country instead of bringing vitality as promised. This global recession may have just laid the ground work for this shift from an owning society to a sharing society.
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As consumers, our behaviors have changed and it’s all about being environmentally friendly. It’s the in thing to be green. It is changing how and what we consume. Seems like everyone is trying to do their part and waste less. Less has become better and it’s a new way of thinking for many.   Sharing and renting means producing and wasting less stuff and that makes collaborative consumption good for the...