The Sharing Economy in Social Media: Analyzing Tensions Between Market and Non-market Logics

From Digital Culture & Society

[edit] The Sharing Economy in Social Media: Analyzing Tensions Between Market and Non-market Logics

Laurell, C., & Sandström, C. (2017). The sharing economy in social media: Analyzing tensions between market and non-market logics. Technological Forecasting & Social Change, 125, 58–65.

DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2017.06.034

Article Link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2017.05.038

• Context

This in-depth study explores the complex world of Sweden's sharing economy and analyzes its dynamics using social media data. It explores the intricacies and uncertainties surrounding its conception while examining the ways in which market and non-market logics merge inside this dynamic organizational world. The study emphasizes the conflicts that exist between commercial and sharing-oriented initiatives, revealing how profit-driven organizations co-opt oppositional viewpoints into the discourse. It reveals the subtle aspects of user-generated material through content analysis of social media posts, emphasizing the contrast between real sharing behaviors and commercial transactions. It highlights the need for a more complex definition that includes both market-driven processes and communal values inside the sharing economy framework by investigating the stakeholder landscape.

• Overview

Sharing-economy platforms are gaining popularity among many enterprises due to their ability to create new value, efficiently utilize resources, and disrupt the market with technology. Still, there are differences of opinion and ambiguities around the topic. The sharing economy was spawned by collaborative encyclopedias, open-source software, file sharing, content sharing, and other online activities driven by both non-financial and financial motivations. However, it's becoming increasingly associated with platform capitalism, wherein profit-driven companies create two-sided markets and profit from the product and service exchange between buyers and sellers. The sharing economy's well-established businesses and institutions are at risk from the unresolved issues of tax evasion and regulatory compliance. This study looks at the sharing economy in Sweden with a focus on its non-market and market practises, and it also suggests a larger definition for it.The purpose of the study question is to find out how market and non-market logics related to the sharing economy are represented in social media interactions. It is believed that two institutional logics that are continually altering the boundaries of the sharing economy represent a recently emerged organizational domain.

Actor behaviour are contingent upon every facet of the organizational field, which is constructed through a dynamic process. Three aspects are investigated: the state of the field at the moment, the manner in which meanings circulate among actors, and the dynamics among actors. The coexistence of many institutional logics enables for changes within the sharing economy, as there aren't yet established institutionalized practices in place. Institutional change is articulated through the actors' ongoing struggles for meaning, and change is largely dependent on their ability to inspire and coordinate.This study looks into who is driving the growth of the sharing economy and how it is framed using social media analysis, or SMA. Researching contemporary issues like the sharing economy is made easier by SMA's interdisciplinary approach, which incorporates social media data analysis techniques. In order to collect data in an organized manner, the study made use of Notified, a technology that collects user-generated content from numerous social media platforms. The data collection was created over a two-month period by gathering 1034 postings using the Swedish phrases for "sharing economy" and "the sharing economy." Both organized and unstructured content in the data were examined using content analysis. The study did not distribute data across social media platforms because its objective was to record the framing of the sharing economy on these platforms.

The sequential analysis paradigm guided the data set's institutional analysis.The study looks into how the sharing economy is now doing as an organizational sector by looking at thematic categories and institutionalized practices in user-generated content. The five main topic areas that were selected were the sharing economy as a phenomenon, user experiences related to the sharing economy, the sharing economy in connection to specific participants, sharing economy industries, and sharing economy societal repercussions. Furthermore, the analysis looked at 21 separate difficulties and found 31 unique sharing economy participants. The results were categorized into two phases: a first look at the institutionalized practises, problems, and organizational field; and a second look at the actors and their positions within the framing.The sharing economy is a relatively new phenomena with unclear societal implications that is the subject of many social media material. The most frequent activity is selling, and most postings on the sharing economy are commercial exchanges.

The sharing economy is in a precarious position due to tensions between market and non-market logics. The term "sharing economy" is being used to describe activities that are not related to sharing, and there are continuous discussions about what exactly it means. More than half of the book is devoted to the topic of taxes and regulations, with an emphasis on official organizations involved in the sharing economy. A market logic has generated controversy, and the sharing economy is characterized by tensions between non-market and market logics. Distinct standards and values indicate an ongoing institutional change.In Sweden, there are various stakeholder groups that shape the sharing economy, with content controlled by profit-driven private corporations like Uber and Airbnb. The meanings and values associated with the organizational realm of the sharing economy are enhanced by these actors. Some users, however, disagree with them and argue they shouldn't be considered part of the phenomenon. The field is currently fragmented, with many actors contributing to the collective frame. This ambiguity stems from the multiplicity of actor groups and the potential incentives they have to build credibility for their organizations. The sharing economy and collaborative consumption have coexisted with two institutional logics. Given that the findings are only partially consistent with Möhlmann's (2015) definition, the results highlight the need for a new definition of the sharing economy that takes into consideration both market and non-market logics and practises.This research examines how the sharing economy is conceptualized in Sweden and reveals the various ways it functions by applying both non-market and market logics.

• Strengths and Weaknesses

This article identifies four weaknesses in the study on the sharing economy: limited data collecting, a dispersed social media environment, and the use of only publicly available user-generated content. It does, however, draw attention to several of its strong points, including its thorough technique and social media analysis that examines the sharing economy from a variety of perspectives while taking non-market logics into account.

• Assessment

In conclusion, through an analysis of social media interactions, the study explores the complexities of Sweden's sharing economy and highlights the conflicts between market and non-market logics. It reveals the fractured environment of conflicting opinions and the growing impact of profit-driven organizations such as Uber and Airbnb by dissecting the interplay among stakeholders. Although it acknowledges the ongoing changes in institutions, it also highlights the need for a more precise definition that takes into account the complexities of this changing economic environment. This will improve understanding by including both non-market and market logics into the conceptualization of the sharing economy.

Kh19an 00:46, 5 December 2023 (EST)