Outline: Attitudes to sharing economy

In this part of the study guide, we will look at the second part of question 1 in your exam set and outline the attitudes to sharing economy expressed in the three texts.

“The sharing economy: a money-making space made for startups”

Text 1 is an article published on the website of the British daily newspaper The Guardian, and written by Suzanne Bearne.

The article is written with an objective attitude towards sharing economy, presenting both its advantages and disadvantages, while focusing on business owners who use this business model.

...

“Learning the wonders of the sharing economy in trip to Denver”

Text 2 is an article by Catharine Hamm, published on the web page of Los Angeles Times in 2014. In the article, the journalist presents her personal experience with sharing economy while on a trip to Denver.

The author’s first attitude towards sharing economy was sceptical, but following her experience, she came to realize some of the benefits of this practice:

...

“Uber and the ‘sharing economy' are leaps into the past, not the future”

Text 3 is an article by Mary Dejevsky published on the website of the British daily newspaper The Independent in 2015. The article discusses sharing economy using the example of Uber, a car driving service, and the author argues that sharing economy is a step backwards, following same capitalistic principles without actually benefiting everyone.

The general attitude presented in the article to the sharing economy is a negative, critical one.

The author’s main critique is that the sharing economy does not help the poor and underprivileged as it is suggested. On the contrary, from sharing economy benefit only those who have some resources:

...