QoTw4: The art of sharing and giving
We may think or feel that people living in this era are mostly self centered and selfish due to the immense competition that we are all involved in. However, this may not actually be the truth. Little do we know that most of us are actually sharing ideas and files free of charge? It has been such a common thing now to upload and download files online at the same time and share information with one another. We are all unknowingly involved in this exchange of ‘goods’ called the gift economy.
What is a gift economy?
According to the Wikipedia, the’ gift economy is an economic system in which the dominant mode of exchange is for goods and services to be given without explicit agreement upon a quid pro quo (the Latin term for the concept of "a favor for a favor"). Usually, the gift economy occurs in a context either of reciprocation- an expectation in the form of goods or services of comparable v
alue to the giver, or of the gift is being passed on in some other manner. This can be considered a form of reciprocal altruism. In other cases, gifting is done without implicit expectation of reciprocation.’ (Gift Economy, 2007)The gift economy is also considered as the sharing community as people share what they have or what they find interesting to others. The receivers may also contribute in return by sharing with the rest with what they have. Some common examples of gift economy would be the internet and its free and open software that is available in some websites. Though there may be the commercialization of a lot of activities and software in the online communities, users have assured that the gift economy will be here to stay and continue to bloom. Tim Berners-Lee commented that the structure of the World Wide Web is structured in a way the aids in cooperation among participants. It is obvious that the gift economy will not be gone as it comes hand in hand with the internet. (Suárez, Maria)
So what motivates people to contribute to the internet gift economy?
There are several reasons that motivated people to continue playing a role in the internet gift economy.
The first reason would be anticipated reciprocity. It is in most people’s culture to return a favor when one person has helped you in some way or other; we tend to feel obliged to returning favors. Therefore, a person who is motivated to contribute valuable information to the group will have an expectation in mind that one will receive useful help in return. There is evidence shown that active participants who gave advices regularly in online communities receive more help compared to the non-active ones.
The second reason would be the effect on one self’s reputation. One’s contributions can be clearly seen in the online communities. The more a person contributes, maybe uploading files or giving regular and informative advices to others, will be recognized by the other users. Thus, the giver will be seen as reliable and of higher status.
The third reason would be a sense of efficacy. With one’s contributions on the online communities, the person will feel that they have an impact on the community or forum. According to the studies from Bandura, it has been said that making regular and high quality contribution can help a person believe that he or she has a certain impact on the community.
The last reason that motivates people to continue contributing to this gift economy is the need factor. One will have to contribute as there is a need for all those software and files. This is also one of the main factors that actually push people to give and take as everyone has their own kind of needs. (Kollock, 1999)
Example of gift economies
I have a keen interest in music and usually tend to look around for different languages and genres of music. To me, the gift economy is one of the best things that happened in the internet. I am able to share my views on music on different forums.
Reviews on albums are also given allowing me to make a decision whether I should get the album of a certain artist. Not only that, people from these forums contributes different music albums for listeners to download without infringing copyright. Most of these music forums that I went to did not just discuss and share music; they also share information they have in other areas of life such as tips on learning Japanese or interesting news. 
It is amazing that from a Japanese music forum, I am able to know and share information that is not purely music but other advices that may even help me in other areas of my life. Many of these people contribute voluntarily and that encourages more people to share what they have after downloading an album that is being posted by another user. Everyone should try joining some of these forums and experience what one can actually receive from it.
an example of a cpoop forum. music can be downloaded that is legal(sorry that is not too clear)
Conclusion
One may be thinking money is what drives the economy and everyone should be realistic about it. However, this is not the case in the current era. There are actually many people sharing what they have to the online communities without getting any monetary gains back. I feel that this is definitely a good trend that we should continue to encourage. So, let’s share what we have and keep this online gift economy going!
References
alue to the giver, or of the gift is being passed on in some other manner. This can be considered a form of reciprocal altruism. In other cases, gifting is done without implicit expectation of reciprocation.’ (Gift Economy, 2007)The gift economy is also considered as the sharing community as people share what they have or what they find interesting to others. The receivers may also contribute in return by sharing with the rest with what they have. Some common examples of gift economy would be the internet and its free and open software that is available in some websites. Though there may be the commercialization of a lot of activities and software in the online communities, users have assured that the gift economy will be here to stay and continue to bloom. Tim Berners-Lee commented that the structure of the World Wide Web is structured in a way the aids in cooperation among participants. It is obvious that the gift economy will not be gone as it comes hand in hand with the internet. (Suárez, Maria)
It is amazing that from a Japanese music forum, I am able to know and share information that is not purely music but other advices that may even help me in other areas of my life. Many of these people contribute voluntarily and that encourages more people to share what they have after downloading an album that is being posted by another user. Everyone should try joining some of these forums and experience what one can actually receive from it.