Between ownership and access: understanding the extension of the self in collaborative consumption

Abstract

This paper analyzes how the extension of the self in the practice of collaborative consumption in the system of sharing of bicycles of Pernambuco takes place. It has a qualitative approach, collecting the data through participant observation on Bike PE platforms and individual unstructured interviews with 24 project users. Social-hermeneutical discourse analysis was used to analyze the data. The possibility of cycling provided by Bike PE represents the opportunity to reaffirm and build certain identity elements, especially those related to the social and collective aspects that stimulate joint and/or interactive actions. Thus, two elements constitute the development and extension of identity in the collaborative practice of Bike PE users: the relational self and the influencing and idealistic self. Many users were shown to already possess a bicycle, indicating that the consumer is willing to experiment new business models without abandoning previous consumer practices such as the acquisition of a good. With a multifaceted identity, individuals want to increase their possibilities of extension and construction of self through access and possession, and the use of the referred product is a central element in the construction and extension of identity, regardless of whether the object used being their own or not.

Keywords:
Extension of the Self; Collaborative Consumption; Possession; Sharing; Bike