On January 8, the Financial Times published an article by Brooke masters entitled "winners and losers in the era of shared economy".

Who can remember the rustle of opening a new record, the smell of a new car, or the thrill of opening the door to a new home? At different times in my life, every one represents the joy of owning, and the feeling of owning is real.

My teenage children and their peers have different attitudes towards objects. They prefer to be paid members of spotify (music streaming service company) and Netflix (the largest online DVD rental company in the United States), who can choose to play from a vast online music and video catalog, rather than buying DVDs or permanently downloading a small number of tracks or videos.

Streaming is at the forefront of a trend that will disrupt more industries. Technology groups are encouraging consumers to rethink their attitudes towards everything from textbooks and tuxedos to housing and transportation. These changes appear in many areas. Platform applications are connecting owners of goods and services (bicycles, spare bedrooms and even solar) to a large number of potential users. Companies that have traditionally focused on selling goods, including clothing retailers and automakers, are now exploring membership and leasing options.

All in all, the increase in these services shows that we are entering a new era: consumers pay more attention to use than to own, and more attention to experience than to assets. The new tax reform bill in the United States will greatly promote this process, because it reduces the two largest tax incentives to encourage Americans to own houses. Only the first 750000 dollars of interest on the mortgage can enjoy the tax deduction, and the state and local property tax deduction can not exceed 10000 dollars at most. Without these two benefits, people living in areas with high house prices and high taxes are likely to decide to continue renting. A rise in house prices in the UK to a peak that most ordinary people cannot afford could have a similar impact in parts of the UK.

There is a precedent for this change. Years ago, many companies turned to the light asset model: supermarkets and professional service organizations sold their stores and offices and then rent them back; Airlines began to rent, rather than buy aircraft; large technology companies such as apple hired other companies to produce iPhones, most notably Foxconn.

For the most successful companies, the decision to focus on intangible assets, such as intellectual property, is a good thing. This has allowed them to grow rapidly without having to invest in factories or hire large numbers of employees. But for small companies, the lack of physical assets makes it almost impossible for them to obtain loans against assets or raise funds by selling assets when they are short of cash. When British budget airline monarch Airlines went bankrupt last October, its main asset was found to be its landing time in the UK.

"Once enterprises implement the asset light model, they can greatly increase their scale. But I don't think people really think about what light assets mean to consumers, "said Jonathan Haskell, Professor of economics at Imperial College London and co-author of capitalism without capital: the rise of the invisible economy." consumers can become more flexible, but they also have to change their way of life. "

Whether it is for consumers or enterprises serving consumers, this may have a profound impact.

First, when businesses provide services rather than tangible goods, the relationship between consumers and the goods they use becomes extremely complex. If I have a record on my shelf, my husband can obviously play it. But when I connect our Amazon echo speakers to my son's spotify account, I don't know if it violates one of the thousands of terms and conditions he agreed to when he opened his account. In addition, does this move give Amazon the right to push ads to my son based on the songs we play? "Consumers will have to deal with the controversial nature of assets. They need to figure out their rights, "said Professor Haskell.

In many cases, the shift to a shared economy will also affect the nature of the item being shared. At present, most of the cars are idle most of the time. If drivers no longer buy cars, but register for rental services or use Uber's car Hailing app, the usage rate of each car will be greatly improved. This means that automakers will be under pressure to produce fewer, better quality cars to withstand this continued use. A similar obvious example is the difference between a washing machine for self-service laundry and a washing machine for home use: commercial machines must be faster, heavier, and stronger.

Increasing the use of durable goods such as washing machines, cars and bicycles is clearly more environmentally friendly, and will benefit consumers by reducing overall costs. It will also fundamentally reshape the entire job market. In the sharing economy, the winners will be those who can effectively match people and resources, not those who can sell the most goods. At the same time, jobs will shift from manufacturing to technology and services.

No wonder automakers such as Ford and general motors have invested in Uber's US rival, LYFT, while Daimler recently acquired the French taxi app chauffeur priv. If these enterprises succeed, I may never smell a new car again.