Author(s)

Tomas Träskman, Nathalie Hyde-Clarke

Department of Culture and Communication, Arcada University of Applied Sciences, Helsinki, Finland.

A better networked society has the potential to facilitate utopian ideals that embrace modes of sharing economy through the advent of the better utilization of community resources. Much has been expected of new digital communication spaces capable of linking individuals with each other outside the ambit of governments and mega-conglomerates. However, due to evolving corporate and marketing strategies, and national legal frameworks, there has been no clear demonstration of a truly alternative economic system. The recent interest in collaborative or sharing economy calls attention once more to this potential. This article presents and analyses a time-banking initiative, Stadin Aikapankki, in Helsinki, Finland. It explores the motivations behind the formation of this sharing economy community initiative, how it relates to and is expressed in terms of utopian aims and ideals, and whether this case study is able to maintain aspects of cultural disruption in the face of pressures from mainstream national actors.

Time Banks, Sharing Economy, Cultural Disruption, Utopia

Träskman, T. and Hyde-Clarke, N. (2016) Assessing the Potential for “Cultural Disruption” through Sharing Economy: A Case Study of a Time Bank in Helsinki. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 4, 111-120. doi: 10.4236/jss.2016.46012.