by
Alec J. Ross
Finally, Airbnb extends the opportunity for supplemental income to hundreds of thousands of households. I think it is no coincidence that the sharing economy took off during the economic crisis, when people throughout the United States and Europe needed extra income. Half of Airbnb hosts are moderate or low income. [...] 47 percent of Airbnb hosts say that hosting allowed them to stay in their homes.
no shit it's no coincidence. that doesn't mean Airbnb deserves its valuation tho??? if the service is really that useful, let it be a protocol or public service goddammit
the more you think about it, the more obvious it becomes that Airbnb is a bandaid solution to a much deeper systemic problem in how the economy is wrong, and so instead of praising it for at least offering a bandaid we should be reconstructing the whole system!! UGH his line of reasoning makes me so angry
also I bet the stats are different now, with Airbnb being increasingly used for landlord-like purposes