Last year, The Associated Press Stylebook, the ultimate American language manual for many reporters, added an entry for Uber. It described the company, along with Lyft, as “ride-hailing” or “ride-booking” services that allow people to use smartphone apps to book and pay for a car service. The entry cautioned: “Do not use ride-sharing.”
The A.P. manual does not yet have an entry for “sharing economy.”
In a telephone interview, David Minthorn, co-editor of the A.P. Stylebook, told me that “sharing” tends to imply an informal agreement among people, like carpooling. So it seems inaccurate, even euphemistic, he said, to use “sharing” in the context of commercial enterprise.
“We prefer a more forthright description,” he said.
While reading the article, “Twisting Words to Make ‘Sharing’ Apps Seem Selfless” I realized just how smart the management teams at Uber and AirBnB might be. Did they craft the term “sharing” into the description of their companies or was it the appropriate term at the moment of creation borrowed from Lisa Gansky. I hadn’t thought about the term until I read the article in the NY Times and wondered if it was the appropriate term for these commercial company.
A recent artical on IEEE Spectrum discribes the creation of the AirBnB pricing algorithm. The algorithm is designed to maximize the return for the renter and AirBnB.
At Above the Crowd Bill Gurley presents five points on Uber’s Dynamic pricing model. One of his comments; “Uber is fundamentally a marketplace, where supply is controlled not by the company but by the legion of independent contractors and transportation providers with whom they work.”
I rented an apartment with two friends when I was in college. We shared the rent, food and utility bills by splitting the costs three ways. My ride pool was similar. We shared the burden of driving and paying for gas by taking turns driving.
These companies are not members of the “shared economy”. They are economic entities that are driven to maximize profits.
Twisting Words to Make ‘Sharing’ Apps Seem Selfless
NATASHA SINGER, www.nytimes.com
