What's Mine Is Yours

"Amidst a thousand tirades against the excesses and waste of consumer society, [this book] offers us something genuinely new and invigorating: a way out." —Steven Johnson, New York Times–bestselling author of  The Infernal Machine A groundbreaking and original book,  What's Mine is Yours articulates for the first time the roots of "collaborative consumption," the authors' term for the technology-based peer communities that are transforming the traditional landscape of business, consumerism, and the way we live. Those who seek an alternative to voracious shopping and the mindless accumulation of possessions will be inspired by this landmark contribution to the evolving ecology of commerce and sustainability. "Driven by growing dissatisfaction with their role as robotic consumers manipulated by marketing, people are turning more and more to models of consumption that emphasize usefulness over ownership, community over selfishness, and sustainability over novelty . . . Part cultural critique and part practical guide to the fledgling collaborative consumption market, the book provides a wealth of information for consumers looking to redefine their relationships with both the things they use and the communities they live in." — Publishers Weekly