Full length article What's mine is yours (for a nominal fee) e Exploring the spectrum of utilitarian to altruistic motives for Internet-mediated sharing Eliane Bucher, Christian Fieseler * , Christoph Lutz Department of Communication and Culture, Norwegian Business School (BI), Nydalsvn. 37, N-0442 Oslo, Norway article info Article history: Received 14 January 2016 Received in revised form 22 March 2016 Accepted 1 April 2016 Keywords: Internet-mediated sharing Sharing economy On-demand economy Online platforms Collaborative consumption Ownership Motives abstract In this contribution, we scrutinize the diverse motives for internet-mediated sharing as well as their role in shaping attitudes towards sharing one's possessions in commercialized as well as non-commercialized settings. On the basis of qualitative and quantitative research, we first develop a scale of sharing motives, showing that the reasons for participating in online sharing platforms are more nuanced than previously thought. Second, employing a motivational model of sharing, rooted in the theory of planned behavior, we show that sharing attitudes are driven by moral, social-hedonic and monetary motivations. Furthermore, we identify materialism, sociability and volunteering as predictors of sharing motives in different sharing contexts. Against this background, we explore the possible role of monetary incentives as a necessary but not sufficient condition for sharing one's possessions with others. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Recent years have witnessed the rise of a new culture of sharing as people increasingly choose to make their possessions, such as their apartments, cars, bikes, tools and other items of everyday life, accessible to others on various online platforms (Botsman & Rogers, 2010; Gansky, 2010). Through a growing number of these digital intermediaries, the ability to find sharing partners around the globe has become not only possible but also widespread (Benkler, 2004; Gansky, 2010). This collective advent of online sharing models stems from both a recent leap in social technologies and continuous shifts in societal attitudes. In particular, consumer preferences are evolving from a primary focus on ownership toward a focus on experience and access, which may explain the scale and growth of the current sharing phenomenon (e.g., Bardhi & Eckhardt, 2012; Belk, 2013; John, 2013a). Furthermore, due to the emergence of digital in- termediaries, communities and social ties in general are no longer restricted to the offline realm, and relationships as well as reputation-based trust as prerequisites for sharing can be formed and maintained online as well as offline (e.g., Wilson & Peterson, 2002). Finally, as individuals become increasingly accustomed to conducting everyday activities, such as shopping, banking or even dating, through Internet platforms, the threshold for sharing pos- sessions through online platforms is lowered considerably. Although the shift in social technologies and attitudes may certainly serve to explain the motives on the demand side of the sharing phenomenon (why do individuals seek access to various goods?) (e.g., Bardhi & Eckhardt, 2012; Botsman & Rogers, 2010), individual motives on the distribution side (why do individuals grant access to their possessions?) remain somewhat uncharted territory. Sharing one's possessions with others is generally considered an inherently pro-social or even altruistic act, marked by feelings of solidarity and bonding (Belk, 2010; Benkler, 2004; Wittel, 2011). In addition to altruistic motives, there are several utilitarian aspects tied to sharing ones possessions. Individuals share in their com- munity because it is economically advantageous or because it helps them either save resources or improve resource efficiency (Gurven, 2006). Sharing may create synergies (Belk, 2007) and increase se- curity by sowing seeds of reciprocal obligations (Belk, 2010). Furthermore, sharing enhances the status of those who share within the community (Gurven, 2006). Finally, sharing resources is considered sustainable and beneficial to the environment (Belk, 2010; Botsman & Rogers, 2010). Despite these benefits, on an individual level, sharing is also tied to several material and personal risks because it exposes one's * Corresponding author. E-mail addresses: eliane.bucher@bi.no (E. Bucher), christian.fieseler@bi.no (C. Fieseler), christoph.lutz@bi.no (C. Lutz). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Computers in Human Behavior journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/comphumbeh http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.04.002 0747-5632/© 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Computers in Human Behavior 62 (2016) 316e326