No One Rides for Free! : Three Styles of Collaborative Consumption

Purpose – This paper focuses on collaborative consumption; that is, the peer-to-peer (P2P)exchange of goods and services facilitated by online platforms. Anchored in the access paradigm,collaborative consumption (e.g., accommodation rental, ridesharing services) differs fromcommercial services offered by firms (e.g., B2C carsharing). The aim of this study is to examine thenuanced styles of collaborative consumption in relation to market-mediated access practices andsocially mediated sharing practices.Design/methodology/approach – Following the general research trend on mobility services, thecontext of long-distance ridesharing is chosen. Data collection was conducted using participantobservation as peer service provider, 11 ethnographic interviews of consumers, and a netnographicstudy of digital artefacts.Findings – Using practice theory, 10 ridesharing activities were identified. These activities and thenuances in the procedures, understandings, and engagements in the ridesharing practice led to thedistinction of three styles of collaborative consumption: (1) Communal collaborative consumption,which is when participants seek pro-social relationships in belonging to a community; (2)Consumerist collaborative consumption, performed by participants who seek status andconvenience in the access lifestyle; and (3) Opportunistic collaborative consumption, whenparticipants seek to achieve monetary gain or personal benefits from abusive activities.Originality/value – By taking a phenomenological approach on collaborative consumption, thisstudy adds to the understanding of the sharing economy as embedded in both autilitarian/commercial economic system, and a non-market/communal social system. The threestyles of collaborative consumption propose a framework for future studies differentiating P2Pexchanges from other practices (i.e., B2C access-based services, sharing)