Metaphysical deterrents to providers’ participation in the sharing economy: The role of peer-to-peer contagion

Abstract

Despite the rising popularity of peer‐to‐peer sharing platforms, very little empiricalresearch has documented how consumers respond to the opportunity of rentinggoods to one another. This work delineates how metaphysical (besides physical)contagion beliefs, particularly when self‐identification with possessions is high, de-motivates people from renting out their possessions in P2P platforms. We claim andempirically test that (1) others’ physical contact hinders willingness to share a pos-session due to an anticipated threat to its essence and that (2) the possession'semotional link with the owner's identity amplifies this effect. Online and laboratoryexperiments provide evidence for these effects in isolation from physical contami-nation concerns. This research extends the research on peer‐to‐peer sharing bydemonstrating detrimental effects of beliefs in essence threat and a possible miti-gation tactic.