We live in an era where one does not have to own a property in Sandton in order to enjoy the lavish lifestyle in that suburb. One does not need to own a car to drive one for as long as they want to.
And that is purely because we live in a sharing economy that has allowed everyone, whether rich or poor, to share in assets that they do not own.
In The Rise of the Sharing Economy, Kevin reminds us that we live in an economy of sharing cars, accommodation, media, books, music, and bikes. He thoroughly provides a deeper analysis of the six economical components that he believes define the sharing economy: Car sharing, accommodation sharing, book sharing, music sharing, media sharing, and bike sharing.
Perusing through the pages of this book I was reminded that people no longer care about spending their money on buying and owning assets anymore, but what is important is the ability to access those assets without having to deal with the burden that comes with owning them.
This book illustrates that consumers in the fourth industrial revolution are more cost-conscious. And that is because of the many opportunities the sharing economy provides them with in terms of how to save their money whilst still living their best lives.
The Rise of the Sharing Economy is a thoroughly researched account and a much-needed tool on how to be part of the gig economy in the fourth industrial revolution. This is a book that truly reminds us of many economic opportunities that are available out there for anyone to grab. That unused room can be turned into a source of income and your car can be your second source of income if you used as car sharing tool.
While I agree with the scribe that the car, accommodation, music and media sharing are the most booming economic components of the sharing economy, However, I felt like he was over-selling the Bike and Booking sharing components of the sharing economy, especially in the South African context.
Many South Africans still prefer to buy hardcopy books in brick and mortar stores for themselves rather than reading or buying online books.
Also the idea of bike sharing, in a country with a high crime rate like SA, has proven in Johannesburg to be not only attractive to consumers, but also not economically viable for the owners of such businesses. So, maybe these sharing economy components will be more appealing to South Africans in years to come. However, for now, there’s a very low interest in bike and book sharings.
Besides that, The Rise of the Sharing Economy is a must-read book and one that we need to be economically active in this new form of economy.