Sharing is caring: Communal housing
the sharing economy is eliminating significant pain points associated with ownership and creating new levels of engagement and enjoyment.
By Gabor George Burt · 29 April 2025 · 1 min read
According to a survey conducted by marketing firm Havas Worldwide, only 20% of people in the industrialized countries disagreed with the statement: “I could happily live without most of the things I own”. And so the sharing economy takes root.
From the Slingshot perspective, the sharing economy is most fascinating for a couple of reasons. First, it is squarely based on debunking a widely accepted and false assumption that people want personal ownership of things. By challenging this assumption, the sharing economy is eliminating significant pain points associated with ownership and creating new levels of engagement and enjoyment.
Secondly, the sharing economy is most often based on blending two, traditionally separate components, in fusing together formerly private and public experiences. This is a great example of what I call the ‘Innovation Shortcut’. A recent illustration is communal housing. Per the article in Yahoo:
“I thought my college years were behind me. But I’m seriously reconsidering the dorm life since visiting Manhattan's first-ever location of communal living startup We Live.
We Work, the $16 billion company that’s disrupted office life, is trying to do the same for your apartment in two locations so far: downtown Manhattan and Crystal City, Virginia. “
