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Top1. Introduction
Consumer attitudes have changed in recent years and concerns about ecological, social and developmental impacts have increased (Choi, 2021; Kim et al., 2018; Albakjaji et al., 2020; Albinsson & Perera, 2012). Indeed, public awareness of the environmental and ethical implications of mass consumption contributed to the emergence of sustainable consumption concepts around the new millennium's beginning (OCSC, 2000). The Oxford Sustainable Consumption Committee (OCSC) defines this concept as consumption that does not result in an environmental or functional loss in the natural world but supports current and future generations to meet material and other needs. In pursuit of these ideals, various stakeholders (e.g., businesses, government agencies, and consumer advocates) have begun to develop initiatives to produce consumer goods that reduce environmental impacts and subsequently provide positive social impacts (Galli, 2019; Cho, Gupta & Kim, 2015). Among the evolving examples of initiatives to promote sustainable consumption, collaborative consumption (CC) has emerged as a promising initiative to reduce consumer waste among various products (Barhoun et al., 2019; Sadgui, & Bencherkara, 2018). Collaborative consumption represents various business models that fundamentally deviate from traditional ownership concepts, including leasing, leasing, exchanging, and exchanging products and services (Johnson, Mun & Chae, 2016).
One of the consequences of the recent hyperconnectivity and a high level of efficiency and reliability is that people are willing to engage in all kinds of social and economic exchanges with members of the extended digital network. Technology, and the applications that come with it, has changed the nature of activities ranging from dating (Tinder) to traveling (Airbnb). Our connectivity is changing the way humans interact. In particular, more people are open to sharing. Whether it's pictures, identities, or breaking news, people provide more to the network than ever before.
Despite the increasing practical importance, there is a lack of quantitative research into motivational factors that affect participants' attitudes and intentions toward CC. This article explores the motives of those who want to participate in CC. For this purpose, the article is structured as follows. First, the following sections present the theoretical framework and background for hypotheses. This study adopts the lens of intrinsic and extrinsic motivations in attitude formation and uses intentions related to CC (Lindenberg, 2001). This study will mainly propose a model that integrates intrinsic and extrinsic factors rather than identifying fragmentary factors. Although intrinsic and extrinsic motivations may not coexist or even show conflicts, this study will hypothesize that intrinsic and extrinsic motivators can coexist in the CC process. This study will show that people who participate in CC share the philosophy related to CC, unlike commerce's general motives. And, theories about the development of self-identity and the relationship between self and consumption suggest that the sharing of objects will be associated with a perceived social distance (Belk, 1988). P2P exchange is expected to produce a lower context in anonymity and higher involvement, the implied social aspect of Bardhi and Eckhardt's dimensions. Belk's (1988) work on the extended-self established the idea that people expand their concept of who they are to include their possessions and objects they consume. This study will apply ideas on the extended self to P2P collaborative consumption and hypothesize that by sharing a personal object of consumption, perceived social distances will be closer, vis-à-vis B2C exchange. And, the subsequent section then outlines data and methods, followed by the results. The article concludes with a discussion on implications and avenues for future research.