Nesta: Sharing Economy Meets Societal, Not Just Consumer Needs

I Love Sharing Digital CollaborativeNew research released by Nesta indicates the sharing economy is woefully untapped. Nesta states this disconnect is quite pronounced when it comes to social objectives. In a nationwide survey conducted by TNS Global, just 9% of British adults indicated they used a collaborative economy platform for a social purpose in the last year. The survey gauged user behaviour in mainstream and social purpose platforms and assessed the level of appetite for social purpose platforms in the future. The findings were revealed in London today at ShareLab, a one-day conference where experts gathered to showcase and debate the social impact of collaborative platforms and marketplaces. Nesta stated that nearly 45 million British adults are not aware of how ‘sharing economy’ technologies can help them access social support services, or support community causes but 22% of those would be interested in using one in in the future

Nesta is now inviting proposals about how collaborative economy platforms can support public services and deliver tangible social impact.

Nesta defines the collaborative economy as using digital technologies to access goods, services and knowledge from people-powered networks and marketplaces. This is typically referred to as the }sharing economy”, perhaps best exemplified by commercial platforms such as Uber and AirBnB. Nesta states that less attention is being placed on how these technologies and business models can drive social and environmental value and change.

Their research indicates that uptake of social purpose platforms is low across the country and reveals which groups are most likely to engage with them. While nearly a third of 16-34 year olds have used a collaborative economy platform for ‘a good cause’ in the past 12 months, only 6% of all British adults surveyed accessed support for themselves, or community, from someone else in this way. When it comes to the use of such platforms for health and care support, only 3% of adults aged 55+ have used one. As 87% of people have not used a collaborative platform to access support from someone else or to offer support to others, the survey shows that some 45 million Britons are not yet aware of the potential benefits.

helen-gouldenHelen Goulden, Executive Director of the Innovation Lab at Nesta, commented;

“The popularity of sharing economy platforms like Airbnb and Uber remain undimmed, with billions being invested into digital commercial platforms that enable people to access the things they need in different ways. While these disruptive businesses raise important issues, we’ve become utterly fixated with an incredibly narrow definition of the sharing economy. But entrepreneurs from across the sectors are now showing us new, exciting ways of harnessing the sharing economy to meet societal, not just consumer, needs. That nearly a quarter of the population have an appetite to engage in new platforms that deliver real social impact is heartening, to say the least.”

The Nesta ShareLab Fund is now inviting proposals on how collaborative economy platforms can be used to support public services, and grow the evidence-base about how they can deliver social impact. The initiative is an opportunity to think more creatively about how communities can build coalitions of citizens, charities, businesses and public sector bodies to address social needs. Nesta states that submissions should be registered by 9 December 2016.

 



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