'Uberization' has nothing to do with 'collaboration'... let's be serious !

Most of collaborative platforms shouldn't use the buzzword of 'collaboration'... not to mention either 'solidarity' or 'cooperation' that would lead to an 'Internet swindle'!

Actually their true core activity is that of 'trusted third parties'. Accordingly, the business model they all use is to provide an 'authority', to help building trust in a community of web users (either suppliers and customers), in order to better lock a vertical market to their only profit (or the shareholder's one...).

Best illustration of this paradox?... their 'market approach / strategy': almost all of them strive to have an exhaustive and centralized supply, in order to satisfy as best as possible a centralized demand (difficult to anticipate). In such an organization, mass supply stimulates mass demand via a 'top-down' approach, and the market is mostly regulated according to the interests of the regulator.

In fact, their digital approach just emphasizes (then better replicates) usual patterns of the 'mass consumption economy', in which marketing is the driving force of commercial warfare.

'Collaboration' is a bit different thing... This word is intrinsically incompatible with any concept of centralization. 'Collaboration' rather means 'transverse', or 'lateral'... and sometimes 'bottom-up'.

Whatever is the market, 'collaboration' is naturally based on the very initial and basic principle of all trade: the one where demand (barely standardized) drives supply (mostly tailored), and not the contrary.

Therefore, adapted digital architectures (or solutions) for 'collaboration' issues are necessary distributed and peer-to-peer. Such relevant tools should allow the actors (citizens, prosumers, suppliers...) to auto-organize in real-time with each others, autonomously, whatever would be the context.

In such a system, never centralized, trust should also be built (spread) step-by-step, on a close-to-close basis (word of mouth). Each actor would (or not) recommend his partners to his own community... unlike those '1 - 5 scales' of recommendation, often backed by 'crap' comments.

Today, these truly collaborative models are quite rare ... for a simple reason: their economic models are less obvious to investors; or, at least, more difficult to apprehend, according to their usual understanding (disruption). This explains why suitable projects have so much difficulties to start.

However, there are some... for example KOOPT: https://youtu.be/z3rA8ytDFT4.

For those interested in participating that experience, do not hesitate to 'koopt in touch' with us: contact@koo.pt.