A recognized VC Mark Suster recently mad a presentation to a London tech group on the emergence of the Sharing Economy or Collaborative Consumption.
This is one of the major ongoing global technological/business trends which has at least 15 years under its belt (think eBay as an early example) and has major long-term implications for society as a whole.
While on the surface, this is only tangentially related to education (Udacity is mentioned), there is much for PSA to consider in the content. A few soundbites:
- Successful disruptive endeavors succeed by competing (at least initially) against “non-consumption” by offering dramatically lower price or cost of access. Then, as the quality improves, it also displaces the incumbents.
- Current U.S. Universities are a form of protectionism for the upper class and the transparency of the web will make that fact much more unacceptable.
- In 4 years, 70% of the literate world will have smart phones.
- When Government cannot take proper care of the people, the people will take care of themselves. Openness brings awareness of disenfranchisement.
- Seniors are an immense untapped resource.
You can view Mark’s blog entry here and/or watch the 20 minute video here.
Always good to be reminded about seniors being an immense resource…and how online is a “good way to be” for people who are reduced in their mobility, and who need shorter time commitments etc, but have skills, knowledge, capability to “spare”.
And Suster talks in his blog in same area about empowering the unemployed.
We have also been talking about people who live in poverty, and specifically the poor and under-educated in borderlands as also being an “untapped immense resource”…and how online can similarly fit certain needs to find “special ways” of inclusion, or re-joining of “mainstream”.
“Sharing” being something, if I may use a stereotypical viewpoint, that local culture does well. “All about the family” includes a “kind of marketplace of the tribe”…where economy of “who you are related to” becomes a means of production. So to speak. Or, as we think in “cloud terms” = a distributed network of “employment, jobs, learning by doing and watching what Uncle Miguel does with his skill saw.”
Another section relevant to PSA in Suster’s blog….Note we Public SERVICES Alliance…
“””I am also very interested in cases where people break down physical barriers that limit wages of instructions while costing too much to students. The obvious cases I mentioned are ones like Udacity but I believe this trend will encapsulate personal trainers, financial planners, depression or substance counsellors, etc. Anywhere where the service provider can earn more at a lower margin by proving more service to the masses.”””””
An example of “service”: PSA has had some preliminary contacts with veteran support groups who need re-entry services for themselves and families.
These services are sometimes funded through Federal Agencies related to veterans and mental health….and there are support groups nationwide, including in our area, that could be worked with to enhance or develop these kinds of services using cloud components.
It’s a type of learning… (but then, in my eyes, what isnt’? =^)
I enjoyed the video description about taking the Amazon experience to the local community. Pet sitting is an example of how a senior could make extra money within a system that “shared” skills , locally.