Unpacking Sharing in the Peer-to-Peer Economy: The Impact of Shared Needs and Backgrounds on Ride-Sharing

In recent years, the peer-to-peer economy has grown exponentially, particularly in the ride-sharing sector. This growth has been accompanied by a muddying between the sharing and gig economy, and it has become unclear when an activity is sharing a resource vs. providing a service. To unpack this difference, we studied two successful carpooling groups (university students traveling home and commuting among professionals), which we contrast with previous literature on ride-hailing apps (e.g., Uber). The two communities that we studied differ in that: professionals, had more routine ride-sharing needs based on their commute; and students, arranged rides to return home for school breaks or long weekends. We detail how common needs and backgrounds impacted how carpoolers treated each other. Leveraging these findings, we outline design paths for both the sharing and gig economies to better realize the ideas of the sharing economy.