Abstract:

Beyond popular practices of sharing digital content online, networked technologies are lauded increasingly as tools for coordinating the sharing of domestic spaces and physical goods. While peer-to-peer exchange and on-demand service provision constitute a relatively recent area for research, exchange platforms are rapidly developing in both commercial and non-profit variants. This offers novel opportunities for studying computer-mediated activities of work and everyday life. In this talk, I focus on network hospitality, that is, peer-to-peer exchange where accommodation is offered, with or without monetary compensation, via networked platforms to strangers who are known in an informational sense through their online profiles, yet unknown in a conventional social sense. I report on a series of qualitative case studies with individuals and multiperson households who offer hosting via Airbnb and Couchsurfing, highlighting key findings regarding discrimination, reputation, and the impacts of monetary transactions on host–guest interactions. I conclude with a discussion of future research that connects the study of platform economies with long-standing academic interests in work, collaboration, and trust.