Sharing Economy and Big Data Analytics

7Data and Platforms in the Sharing Context

Where ideas are lacking, one word always arrives on time.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

7.1. Introduction

The advent of Internet applications and mobile technologies, changes in general attitudes, and the greater attention paid to sustainable consumption during the last few years have led to a new context characterized by sharing. This context has been widely discussed in Part 1 of this book to foster understanding of the characteristics of an economy based on sharing, its operation, and its promises.

Several sharing economy companies around the world reacted positively to the trends in this economy and have affirmed their position within their business sector.

Airbnb, for example, the leading accommodation sharing platform, has more than three million listings, and its hosts receive more than 150 million guests worldwide.

Then there’s Uber, which has been revolutionizing the transportation industry since its creation in 2009 and currently operates in more than 50 countries and 250 cities worldwide.

Not to mention, of course, BlaBlaCar, Lyft, Drivy, Quora, TaskRabbit, Wework Djump, Deliveroo, Haxi, Didi, CouchSurfing, Zipcar, Bag Borrow, Steal, Poshmark, etc., which rely on the intensive use of digital platforms and which owe their success to the sharing economy.

The sharing economy has become popular and is based on new business models, in which access to goods and services can be easily shared. The term itself describes a phenomenon ...