Sharing economy promotes morality, not impedes it

Abstract

Sharing economy (SE) is a rapidly growing economic model which has brought people efficiency and convenience; however, it also provides users the opportunity to misbehave, which has raised public concerns about the moral crisis that it might cause. We examined the effect of SE on individuals' unethical behaviors through four studies. We found consistently that making people believe that they were using shared goods (Study 1) or priming them with abstract SE mindsets (Studies 2-4) reduced, not facilitated, their subsequent cheating on task performances to gain monetary rewards. Moreover, the effect of SE on cheating was mediated by a sense of connecting to others (Study 4). Thinking of using SE enhanced individuals' interpersonal closeness, which in turn led to less unethical behavior. However, correlational analyses in Studies 3 and 4 showed that people who cheated more in studies in the laboratory also reported using SE more frequently in real life. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Sharing Economies: The Impact of Online Platforms in Social Exclusion and Economic Marginalisation in South Africa

“…Sharing economy is a rapidly growing economic model which has brought people efficiency and convenience; however, it also provides users the opportunity to misbehave, which has raised public concerns about the moral crisis that it might cause (Guo et al, 2019). This study will therefore discuss the positive opportunities of sharing economy and as well as public concerns related to security and governance.…”

“…Sharing economies can be defined as a new economic model based on the internet and smart devices, which has boosted its popularity and received great public attention (Guo et al, 2019). When considering online platforms, South Africa has been advancing its economic development though online platforms and online applications that have been used in both public and private corporations.…”