Exploring Problems Associated With the Sharing Economy

Abstract

As the sharing economy has become more popular, its problems are discussed increasingly. However, these discussions are often confusing because there are multiple definitions for the sharing economy, and the discourse does not usually specify which definition it is based on. Therefore, the actors may be wrongfully accused of problems that do not concern them, only because they are perceived as belonging to the sharing economy. We aim to clarify this discussion by creating a framework that maps specific problem discourses to specific actors and stakeholder groups. We create a framework based on a review of the academic literature in which the sharing economy is delineated into smaller markets. The framework is further utilized to map empirically identified problems based on data collected from 180 web pages that discuss problems in the sharing economy. The findings indicate that the key problems in the sharing economy, such as labor rights, concern a very narrow segment of the sharing economy. We conclude that issues concerning safety are neglected in the academic research.