Why people participate in the sharing economy: A social exchange perspective

Abstract

We empirically analyze the competitive benefits of sharing economy services to understand why people participate in the sharing economy. We employ the social exchange theory to examine the participation intention in sharing over owning. We emphasize on the importance of service platform as a trusted third party and its influence on reducing the perceived risk of sharing economy. The research model includes the key antecedents to trust and relative advantages of sharing economy services. The model will be tested with the Airbnb users’ data. The research results are expected to contribute to researchers and practitioners to understand the sharing economy.