Blog #11

Commercial economy is defined as an exchange in terms of price (118), while a sharing economy is defined in terms of the value of an object or service compared to another, in a sharing economy goods are traded for their value not their monetary value. These two different economies are how we are trained to deal with the dispersion and exchange of goods and services. We swap one for the other in a sharing economy while we swap one for a dollar amount in a commercial economy. A good example, an everyday one at that is the basic exchange you make at a grocery store, you choose a box of cereal and then you trade it for a few dollars. An example of a sharing economy is wikipedia, you search their data base for information useful to you, and in exchange you contribute new information (156).

The distinction and difference between commercial and sharing economies matters to Lessig's main argument because he want to show the readers that both economies matter to one another, one cannot exist without the other, they provide each other checks and balances. Similar to RO and RW cultures discussed in earlier. Once there is a complete understanding of the two economies and how they function, then we can see how prosperous they can be to business success online.