Book review: What’s mine is yours
At the heart of this book are two simple ideas.
The first is that access matters more than ownership. We don’t need to own a drill. But we may need to make a hole. So quick, easy access to a drill is the thing that matters.
The second idea is network-based sharing. The book makes a compelling case for us using our social networks (in particular online networks) to make sharing stuff as easy as, if not easier than, owning stuff.
I’ve started doing this myself. I occasionally need a data projector for work. Instead of buying one, at considerable expense and with the associated environmental costs, I now ask my Twitter followers each time I need a projector. They haven’t let me down once. I’ve shared things that
I can own in similar ways.
The book highlights lots of exciting businesses tapping into this emerging trend – peer-to-peer lenders like Zopa, car-sharing sites like Whipcar, and neighbourhood based sharing sites like Ecomodo. At a time when inflation and cuts are eating into our spending power, collaborative consumption can offer us access to goods whilst also building relationships with those around us.
Sharing isn’t a new idea. But using our social networks to make sharing as easy as owning feels like an idea whose time has come.