Tamies: A Study And Model Of Adoption In P2p Resource Sharing And Indirect Exchange Systems

Peer-to-peer indirect exchange services, such as sharing sites that facilitate the lending and borrowing of physical goods among neighbors (such as NeighborGoods and Peerby), have not been as widely adopted as direct exchange systems, such as peer-to-peer platforms that facilitate the exchange goods and services for money (such as Uber and Airbnb). In order to understand contributing factors to this lack of adoption, we examined attitudes towards and usage of peer-to-peer resource-sharing sites among 37 residents of New York City, 9 of whom had previously used a peer-to-peer sharing site. In addition, to more deeply understand the role of trust on willingness to lend, we also conducted a survey with 195 respondents. Our findings show that people expressed concerns about violating norms of the kinds of objects suitable for sharing, about potential risks involved with entrusting a possession to somebody else, and about a dearth of available items that would be useful. Building upon previous technology acceptance models, critical mass theory, and prior research on peer economies, we propose a technology acceptance model for indirect exchange systems that includes generalized trust and ease of coordination.