The DOI matches its Crossref record; 97 of the 98 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Sharing Versus Pseudo-Sharing in Web 2.0
Abstract
The Internet has opened up a new era in sharing. There has also been an explosion of studies and writings about sharing via the Internet. This includes a series of books, articles, and web discussions on the topic. However, many of these apparent cases of sharing are better characterized as pseudo-sharing — commodity exchanges wrapped in a vocabulary of sharing. The present paper reviews subsequent research and theorizing as well as controversies that have emerged surrounding sharing and what is best regarded as pseudo-sharing — a wolf-insheep’s-clothing phenomenon whereby commodity exchange and potential exploitation of consumer co-creators present themselves in the guise of sharing. The paper begins with a pair of vignettes that highlight some of the contested meanings of sharing. By detailing four types of pseudo-sharing and four types of sharing that are specifically enabled or enhanced by Internet technologies, the paper argues that pseudo-sharing is distinguished by the presence of profit motives, the absence of feelings of community, and expectations of reciprocity. It concludes with a discussion of theoretical, practical, and ethical implications of pseudo-sharing and offer suggestions for future research.
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“These innovations have created new alternatives for sharing, for both communal and utilitarian purposes, simplifying the process compared to pre-accessible internet age (Belk 2014).”
From A cross-cultural study of nonprofit self-organized ridesharing (2024) · cites this paper as Belk 2014
Citations
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Elambert, J. (2022) · theses.fr (ABES) · doi:10.70675/5a29908cz9b0fz4d26za729zf767449aedbd
Developing a comprehensive and strategic sustainability framework for the evolving sharing economy
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“’ However, many scholars have argued that these are forms of renting disguised as sharing [1, 7, 35, 53].”
DRIVERS FOR BUYING SECOND-HAND CLOTHES: INFLUENCE OF PSYCHOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICSPreprint
Marzo-Navarro, M., Iglesias, M. P., & Grilló-Méndez, A.-J. (2026) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.6955625
Access-based consumption revisited
Bardhi, F., Eckhardt, G. M., & Vignali, G. (2026) · Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science · doi:10.1007/s11747-026-01176-y
Attri, C., & Sinha, S. (2026) · Journal of the Knowledge Economy · doi:10.1007/s13132-026-03333-8
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Tensions Behind the Trade: How Divergent Service Preferences Shape Peer‐To‐Peer Sharing Choices
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The collaborative economy from a service-dominant logic lens: a conceptual typology
Hall, K. K. L., Patil, R. K., & Qi, J. (. (2026) · Journal of Service Theory and Practice · doi:10.1108/jstp-06-2025-0224
Gift or rent? TikTok LIVE gifting, value, labor and precarity among entrepreneur-creators in Africa
Ameh, S. S., Ogor, U. C., Nworie, C. S., Anorue, H. C., Momoh, T. N., Chukwunonye, A., Oguche, I., & Anorue, L. I. (2026) · SN Social Sciences · doi:10.1007/s43545-026-01890-y
“It is consistent with a misrecognition reading, in which transactions expe - rienced in gift language are less often registered as extractive (Belk 2014 ; Bourdieu 1977), but equally consistent with the relational-work reading developed in Sect.”
Influential
Metadata
- Authors
- Belk, R.
- Affiliations
- York University (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Belk, Russell
- ORCID
- Belk, Russell
- Venue
- The Anthropologist
- Publisher
- Kamla Raj Enterprises
- Published
- 2014-07
- Volume
- 18
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 7-23
- ISSN
- 0972-0073 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2184849112
- Cited by
- 622
- References
- 98
- Citations by year
- 2026: 16 · 2025: 23 · 2024: 32 · 2023: 44 · 2022: 73 · 2021: 77 · 2020: 90 · 2019: 86 · 2018: 62 · 2017: 68 · 2016: 38 · 2015: 11 · 2014: 1
- FWCI
- 126.19
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- The Anthropologist (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Marketing › Sharing Economy and Platforms
- Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Information Systems and Management › Knowledge Management and Sharing
- Social Sciences › Communication › Media and Digital Communication
- Keywords
- sharing, Web 2.0, commodity exchange, customer co-creation, profit motive, reciprocity, community, ethics of sharing, internet technologies
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