Brave New World: The Sharing Economy

Words: 1853
Pages: 8

In the modern world, we live in a bastion of technology leading to vast advancements in how we deliver services. This shake-up of the economy has provided opportunities for new companies like Uber, Lyft, and Airbnb all of whom have taken up the mantra of the sharing economy. Opponents of the sharing economy point to the dubious labor protections and it's showcasing in Brave New World as reasons to avoid the sharing economy, however, a more pragmatic view of the issues would reveal its benefits including a higher availability of services, lower prices, and a more efficient usage of economic resources.
To start, Services will become more available with the development of the sharing economy. This occurs as people come out in droves to provide
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The Sharing economy promotes more opportunities while the world state pushes for a caste system that pins in people. The DHC explains that they “predestine and condition. We decant our babies as socialized human beings, as Alphas or Epsilons, as future sewage workers or future …” (Huxley 13). The world state uses technology to organize society, and in this case, design the people for what they will do, how they act, and what they enjoy. The sharing economy takes the opposite approach. The goal is more job flexibility and a more fluid work force. Of the people who work in Uber, “49 percent worked a full-time job… 10 percent worked multiple jobs, and 26 percent worked at least one part-time job. Only 8 percent were unemployed” (Vinik). Uber like most of the sharing economy is providing job mobility. People are now more than ever able to break away from a job they detest to try their hand in any of the emerging job markets. The sharing economy does not stifle worker choice but instead helps remove the barriers that keep them in a dull nine to five jobs. If they dislike what they find in the sharing economy, they can easily reintegrate into the regular economy. The structure of the sharing economy allows people to stay in their regular job while trying out a new job in their free time. The world state and the sharing economy have two entirely different goals and views. The world state wants …show more content…
"The Sharing Economy Is the Labor Movement’s New Opponent." Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2016. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/IBOPWT285049591/OVIC?u=j170902014&xid=a7c86f20. Accessed 24 Feb. 2017. Originally published as "The Sharing Economy Is Labor’s Next Hope," New Republic, 25 Jan. 2016.
"Shared Services Usage Among US Adults." Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context, Gale, 2016. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/VJISLJ184172003/OVIC?u=j170902014&xid=c4c56f28. Accessed 27 Feb. 2017.link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/VJISLJ184172003/OVIC?u=j170902014&xid=c4c56f28. Accessed 24 Feb. 2017.
Vinik, Danny. "Uber Drivers Are Happier Than the Media Lets On." Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2016. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/BDGFFM818450235/OVIC?u=j170902014&xid=f5cc305f. Accessed 24 Feb. 2017. Originally published as "Uber Drivers Love Uber, Says Uber Survey. Here’s Why You Should Believe It," New Republic, 22 Jan.