Life becomes a service

Whether IT from the cloud or car sharing - many things of daily life are no longer purchased, but only used for a limited period for a fee. Will the vision of a society without private property finally come true and then everything will be all right?

The communist vision of a society without private property could actually be realised through digitisation. For the young generation of the millennials, ownership is playing less and less of a role. Instead of burdening oneself with purchases, many things are used in everyday life only when needed and otherwise shared with others.

»Everything becomes service,« HP CEO Dion Weisler summed it up last year at the manufacturer's partner conference in Chicago (CRN reported). At the age of 16 he had wished for nothing more than a driver's license and a car, Weisler said. His 16-year-old son, however, only wanted a credit card and an Uber Account. Whether IT infrastructure from the cloud, airbnb, bike or car sharing - the »sharing economy« has long been a reality in many areas of life and work. The only exception is the private smartphone, which is preferably an iPhone.

For »Generation Y«, the smartphone is more than just a status symbol; it is the gateway to the digital world and thus also the access device to the sharing economy, with which the new range of products can be used in the first place. In the near future, the smartphone could be the only necessary possession with which everything else could be used for a certain period of time as required.

1. Life becomes a service
2. Living-as-a-Service