It made me think of Californian ideology. For those of you who haven’t heard of it –it comes from an article by Barbrook and Cameron published in Mute magazine in 1995 and it’s basically an ideology evolving around technology being able to fix anything. According to Aibnb’s above advertisement – is this a platform that can save the world?
Platforms such as Airbnb drive the digital economy forward. Airbnb runs a marketplace where hosts can rent out their houses. Its nonprofit project, Airbnb.org, provide free housing to people in need. Despite its seeming altruism, is it really?
The video highlights qualities like generosity, community, and inclusiveness rather than profit or the platform’s effect on property markets. This storyline draws attention away from the platform’s profit-driven basis and presents Airbnb’s crisis management role as normal – even essential.
Barbrook and Cameron critiqued such occurrence. They think it assumes that everyone has equal access to technology and that the internet alone can fix big problems.
By presenting individual hosts who provide accommodation, Airbnb.org highlights the superstructure – the intellectual and cultural framework that supports and explains the economic system. These hosts are portrayed as unselfish contributors to a worldwide solution, which is consistent with the concept of “techno-utopianism.”
‘Information technologies, so the argument goes, empower the individual, enhance personal freedom, and radically reduce the power of the nation-state. Existing social, political and legal power structures will wither away to be replaced by unfettered interactions between autonomous individuals and their software.’
Barbrook and Cameron, 1995
One of the main issues is that hosts don’t know who is going to stay at their property. Since it’s voluntary, there’s a third party taking care of booking details. Some hosts seem to be unhappy with this solution.
Hosts are being compensated by various organisations supporting Airbnb.org idea or offer a discounted rate for those in need stays. However, are the hosts actually prepared to handle such difficult situations? People in need tend to be different customers than regular Airbnb users due to their urgent circumstances/states. They tend to be distressed, whereas, some hosts might not be equipped enough to deal with such difficulties.
Additionally, there are costs like utilities, homeowner’s insurance, and a cleaning charge that Airbnb will not pay for. Airbnb benefits from free PR and the satisfaction of having assisted thousands of people without charging them anything. In the meantime, the host may experience some property damage or other liabilities. The liability is almost passed onto volunteers instead of reliable sources.
