In my first blog, I talked about the benefits of and criticism on sharing economies. As I discussed, recent technologies have made this new business model increasingly popular and in my opinion the benefits are overwhelming. So what could slow this disruptive model?
Before answering this question, we first have a look at why these models became so popular. Of course it was for a reason that Airbnb started in 2008, at the peak of the financial crisis. For many years, people considered owning assets as an important measure to determine prosperity and welfare. The last few years we have seen a shift in this thought, and more and more people are willing to pay for access rather than ownership. This saves consumers a lot of money, makes expensive assets available to people who cannot afford them and offers flexibility. The new way of collaborative consumption provides these services. Something quite similar we have seen in other industries, such as the music industry. People In 2011, Spotify founder Daniel Ek stated that “ownership (of music) is great, but access is the future” (CNN, 2011). People want their music to be portable and interchangeable, instead of owning just a couple of albums.
So what could threaten this model? In my opinion, a big concern is its regulatory. Regulators have recently woken up and ask themselves whether these new platforms are all legal. People who rent a room on Airbnb, for instance, do not pay the tourism tax the would pay if sleeping in a hotel. Additionally, a lot of citizens where complaining about nuisance from the influx of tourists. Mainly because of these complaints, as of this month citizens of Amsterdam are obligated to register when renting out their accommodation. Furthermore, the municipality has implemented a maximum rental period of 60 days and they are currently discussing whether or not to reduce this measure to 30 days.
Something similar we have seen for Barqo, the sharing platform for boats. At their launch in 2014, the Amsterdam Waternet declared them illegal, since the do not poses an operating licence. This does not, however, hold the company back from operating. Barqo is becoming more popular among both boat owners and renters and according to Thijs Janssen, one of its founders, “the sharing economy is coming and cannot be stopped by some local rules” and “the current regulation has to be adapted” (Sprout, 2014). I totally agree with him on this part. However I do understand that these new models has some teething troubles – with one of them its regulatory – it seems that sharing economies and platforms are (at least part of) the future. Eventually, the rules have to adapt in order to facilitate the best economic and social environment for these model to develop. So this disruptive model can be slowed down, but certainly will not be stopped.
Sources:
- Bouma, K., Van Weezel, T.G. (May, 2017). Amsterdam slaat slag in strijd tegen Airbnb: inwoners verplicht verhuur te melden. De Volkskrant. Retrieved from: https://www.volkskrant.nl/binnenland/amsterdam-slaat-slag-in-strijd-tegen-airbnb-inwoners-verplicht-verhuur-te-melden~a4492531/
- Bueters, P. (August, 2014). Airbnb voor bootjes laat zich niet tegenhouden. Retrieved from: https://www.sprout.nl/artikel/sharing-economy/airbnb-voor-bootjes-laat-zich-niet-tegenhouden
- Couzy, M. (October, 2017). Maximum termijn van 30 dagen Airbnb-verhuur op komst. Het Parool. Retrieved from: https://www.parool.nl/amsterdam/maximum-termijn-van-30-dagen-airbnb-verhuur-op-komst~a4522136/
- Griggs, B. (July, 2011). Spotify founder: Future of music is access, not ownership. Revrieved from: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/TECH/web/07/21/spotify.fortune.brainstorm/index.html
- Van Dun, M. (August, 2014). Waternet verbiedt ‘Airbnb voor boten’. Het Parool. Retrieved from: https://www.parool.nl/amsterdam/waternet-verbiedt-airbnb-voor-boten~a3724670/
