Domesticating the market: moral exchange and the sharing economy

The sharing economy has generated enormous excitement with its promise of transforming work and consumption through technology and novel socio-economic relations. However, critics see the phenomenon as a further development of neoliberalism. Platforms such as Airbnb and TaskRabbit, monetize a previously uncommodified realm of life via renting of bedrooms, possessions, space and labor time. In this paper, we analyze the meanings and attitudes of sharing economy participants. On the basis of 100 interviews in two for-profit and three not-for-profit sites, we find that most see the sharing economy as an opportunity to build a radically different market, from the bottom up. They are critical of the neoliberal market order, and envision an economy of personalized exchanges that are morally attuned, based on ideals of community, and that help them achieve creative and financial autonomy in their working lives. To our respondents, the sharing economy is an opportunity to domesticate the market.