Couchsurfing the Gift Economy

When contemplating the Gift Economy, it's easy to get overly simplistic and see it as functioning in a similar way to our current economy. From this perspective there is an exchange- one person offers something, another receives. Money makes it easy to balance this equation, so that both parties are valued. So does the gift economy simply mean that some people win and some people loose? Does one half of the transaction require blind faith that someone, somewhere will return the favor? In order to understand how the Gift Economy works, you have to remove yourself entirely from the mindset how our current economy works, and take up a new perspective.

The Gift Economy isn't about one person's needs versus another person's needs, tit for tat, and checks and balances. And it certainly isn't about the capitalist notions of winner takes all, last man standing, and each for himself. In the Gift Economy the catchphrases are more like co-creation, group potential and mutual goals. Where most transactions in our current economy are generated by one person's need, in the Gift Economy, transactions are motivated by shared goals.

Case Study: Couchsurfing.com

Couchsurfing.com is an online tool which connects globe-trotting travelers to free places to stay. It functions as a social networking tool, allowing people to connect via friends of friends to a global network of potential couches. When most people first join, they assume that in order to take advantage of this tool as a traveler, they must also offer their couch in exchange, allowing travelers to stay in their home in order to cash in on their credits to find their own free place to stay. This is a perfectly natural assumption to make, when looking at Couchsurfing from the perspective of our current economy. It seems obvious that the host who is offering the couch is the one 'giving' and the guest staying on the couch is 'taking'. However, the reality of the situation is that both parties are having their needs met at the same time, which is why it has become such a successful example of a Gift Economy. The guest has the most obvious benefits, but what about the host? Why would someone use a service like this to offer their couch to a stranger in the first place? There are a few reasons- perhaps they wish they could travel but don't have the time or money to, and so they offer their couch so that they can experience a person from another culture. Perhaps they enjoy spending time being a tourist in their own town and have fun when they have people to show around. Perhaps they want to practice speaking another language. Or perhaps they just want to meet someone interesting, who is outside of their normal experience. Once you have had a couple of people staying on your couch you realize that a hosts experience can be just as positive and rewarding as a guests. In fact, when you think about it, it's easy for someone to open their doors and offer a couch to a passing traveler, and it's actually the traveler who does most of the work. They have to pack up their things into a bag, get on a plane, travel long distances spending many hours and dollars getting to your doorstep. To be a host, all you have to do is open the door. The fascinating irony of the Couchsurfing community is that expectations are totally reversed, and the travelers are the ones who are highly valued. Having someone stay on your couch who is well traveled with friends all over the world and good stories to tell is not a drain on a host, but a boon! If the shared goal for Couchsurfing.com is cultural exchange, then travelers can actually hold more value than hosts!

When both parties in an exchange benefit from the transaction it creates a win-win situation, which does not require any money to level out the balance. When both parties share a mutual goal, then working towards that goal together and achieving the desired result is all the payback they need.

Is it too obvious to mention that good sex is a great example of such an exchange? Probably...