Give Me Access

“As more items are invented and manufactured – while the total hours in a day to enjoy them remains fixed – we spend less and less time per item.” Kevin Kelley

We will acquire things differently in the future. This is the concept of access versus ownership. Years ago, the only way to buy software was to purchase the disc and invest in the hardware and infrastructure to make it work. Now, companies like Salesforce.com are providing their products through a SAAS (software-as-a-service) model that is accessed through an internet link and hosted on their servers. Gmail is another example of accessing something instead of owning it. Maybe in a few years, I won’t have to buy a car. I will just pay to access someone else’s. 

Short-term use will drive access over ownership. We also want what we want when we want it. Kindle provides instant access to countless books, and Netflix allows us to quickly access movies, TV shows, and other related content. Why buy when you can borrow?