Social Sciences in China (Chinese Edition)

No. 11, 2021

The Social Construction of the Sharing Economy

(Abstract)

Wang Ning

The rise of the sharing economy has allowed us to witness a consumption revolution in the stock of resources. As contemporary environmental issues and social inequality grow, the idea of a new commons and social sharing has emerged. Accordingly, the excess capacity of private assets, normalized by the idea of property, has become increasingly problematic. To some extent, the sharing economy is a response to both the environmental crisis and social inequality. On the one hand, the excess capacity of private assets is seen as one of the results of the massive acquisition and consumption encouraged by consumerism, which has led to negative consequences for the environment. The routine social utilization of the excess capacity of private assets can relieve environmental pressure by allowing people to hire rather than buy, thus reducing the quantity of goods purchased by consumers. At the same time, the sharing of the excess capacity of private assets creates opportunities for middle and lower income groups to convert the excess capacity of their private assets into a commodity and thus earn extra income. The “digital fair” and the new type of social interactive structure associated with it, brought about by the revolution in digital and communication technologies, provide the necessary conditions for routine large-scale sharing of the excess capacity of private assets.