Do you share your stuff? If you need a drill, do you go out and buy one or do you try to borrow one? I mean, you just need a hole, right? I own a drill. My dad gave me a new DeWalt drill about 10 years ago, but that one got lost on a mission trip. I never found it, although another older drill with a chuck key showed up unclaimed. I took it, so that’s why I have a drill now. I don’t really need one though.
So why don’t I need one? Doesn’t everyone have a drill in their garage? Let’s look at the logic. I need a few holes, so I use the drill for approximately 4-8 minutes in a years time. Maybe a little bit more if I have some home projects. I could borrow one from a friend. I could rent one when I’m doing projects. I could share a drill. Yes, I said share. I could co-own a drill with some friends or I could use a sharing service. This is really a great and upward trending process.
First, there’s itizen.com. You can print QR codes for all of your things in order to tell stories about them, to share them and to track the life of them. Here’s a blurb from itizen’s site:
Why we do what we do.
We want to celebrate the cool things around us — period. We are inspired by the artists, makers, and retailers who provide us with these wonderful things, and we are fascinated by how storytelling can give these things meaning and purpose. Most important, we are passionate about supporting a culture of giving and sharing that allows others to benefit from these things and share in the joy.
If you don’t have a QR code reader, there’s lots of free apps out there that can be downloaded. You can scan it and it will bring up the info right away. The code to the left is a legitimate code for something I’m getting rid of. Take a look and see if you want the item. ;)
I’m really liking this concept of sharing and swapping. I’m still researching this whole thing, but I see so many benefits.
Cost savings: Not only does it save you money buying things, but also saves money on the maintenance and storage of these things.
Environmentally friendly: Reducing consumption means less production and fewer resources used.
Manufacturer behavior change: Manufacturers will start to make products based on consumer demand. If we want to share quality products, but we’re buying less of them, manufacturers will start making more quality items and with the needed features we desire.
Less clutter: Less stuff is less stress and less to clean. It’s also easier to find the things you do have.
Builds community: Sharing with friends, and even people you don’t know yet if you choose to do that, is a great way to build community, especially among neighbors. In this day and age, at least where I live, knowing your neighbors is not the norm. My neighbors let me borrow stuff all the time, and if they need something, they ask.
Helps eliminate poverty: This process can help eliminate poverty by lowering the cost of living. If I don’t need to buy as much and I can share with others, I can live on less.
Job shifts: Jobs become more service oriented. This is due to a shift from consuming stuff to being consumers of services.
We are on the front end of a wonderful trend that will change the way the world functions, utilizing technology to change our distribution systems, creating a community of sharing that will better our lives. I’m still doing a lot of homework on this, but I will be posting more on it soon. Sharing is an old concept, but it’s finding a new life through social media.
I just bought a used iPad from a friend of mine who’s upgrading. I’ve decided to share my iPad. I will be using a service such as snapgoods.com or I might do a co-ownership of it. If this intrigues you in any way, let me know your thoughts.