QotW4: "It is better to give than to receive"

Giving and Receiving

Ever since the time of the hunting and gathering societies, a hunter's status in his tribe was not based on how much kill he ate, but it was determined by what he brought back and gave to others. To many, success is defined by what one can offer to others and taking pride in our valuable contributions to others. (Pinchot, 1995) Thus, the emergence of a gift economy is not a new idea or concept, instead it has its roots deep in human nature.

The gift economy can be viewed as an outlet where people can come together "to learn, to understand, to change and take charge of the world." (Pollard, 2005) It is a platform where people offer information without the expectation of any direct return. The gift economy is viewed as a sharp contrast when compared to the traditional commodity economy where price is the main driving factor. There are several motivating factors that fuel a gift economy. Some feel that they have a certain reputation and prestige to upkeep after contributing valuable and trusted information on a certain subject forum. (Rhinegold, 1993) Others might feel a sense of efficacy in which one claims that their information provided affects a particular environment and it boosts their image as a person with efficacy. (Bandura, 1995)

We must be aware that the emergence of online gift economies have been rampant in these recent years. As an increasing number of people communicate online, many groups and forums have also been established for people who share similar interests or belong to the same community. The low cost and the easy distribution of information are also the driving factors behind the online gift economy. People who are intrested in photography for example, might be a member of the online photography society or a die-hard soccer fan might have an exclusive membership to a soccer-only forum. At these forums, people can post their queries and thoughts online, and people of similar interests will help them out, all without a monetary cost.

Having a keen interest and eye for fashion, I belong to several fashion forums such as the "Female First" forum ( http://www.femalefirst.co.uk) where ladies can post their fashion dilemmas or any interesting bits of fashion news online. People will then respond by giving feedback to the receipient or comment about the piece of news that has been posted. However, I would like to discuss about an online gift economy that was introduced to me by a friend.

"Time Zone"(www.timezone.com) is reputed to be the world's leading English language website that offers information about watches to watch enthusiasts all around the world. It is even quoted to be "The world's watch information resource" In this website, one can scroll through the numerous watch forums that are offered. There are public forums where people can post general comments and questions and it boasts a specific brand forum where more than 20 of the world's most reputable watch brands can be found. Therefore, if one might have a question about a particular brand of watch, he or she can go directly to the brand forum and post a question there. An example will be the author "garyny" going into the Cartier brand forum and asking if it is difficult to exchange the bracelet of a Cartier watch. He then received help from a member "hpg1971" regarding that post. Therefore, this is a classic example of a gift economy where one received help from another person and does not expect anything in return. People also contribute news and articles into the community articles of the website, watch reviews, industry news and interviews. Many contribute information voluntarily to these websites in order to share their interest with others and they often do not look forward to any rewards or returns. There is even a French and Japanese language forum that is catered for the Japanese and French members. Therefore, should anyone have any queries about any watch, they can always proceed to Time Zone to have their doubts cleared by others- all at no monetary cost!

In conclusion, we must realise that though money is what drives the economy, not all economies in the world are based on stretching and maximising one's personal gain, in fact some are founded on the basis of giving. (Pinchot, 1995)Therefore as what author lewis Hyde wrote in the book, "The Gift: The Erotic Life of Property", one's gift economy status is with accordance to those who gives the most to others.

References:

Kollock, Peter (1999). 'The Economies of Online Cooperation; Gifts and Public Goods in Cyberspace" Retrieved February 6, 2007 from http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/soc/faculty/kollock/papers/economies.htm

Pinchot, Gifford (1995). "The Gift Economy" Retrieved February 6, 2007 from http://www.context.org/ICLIB/IC41/PinchotG.htm

Pollard, Dave (2005). "The Gift Economy" Retrieved February 6, 2007 from http://blogs.salon.com/0002007/2005/04/17.html

www.femalefirst.co.uk

www.timezone.com

Rheingold, Howard. 1993. The Virtual Community: Homesteading on the Electronic Frontier. New York: Addison-Wesley.

Bandura, Albert (editor). 1995. Self-Efficacy in Changing Societies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press