From the Lighthouse to the Campfire: The Connection between Sharing Information Offline and Sharing Resources Offline

Abstract

A recent cultural shift from the traditional framework of few-to-many communication to a more democratic, many-to-many approach supports a new model called “From the Lighthouse and the Campfire” model. The Lighthouse and the Campfire model suggests that information no longer comes from one source (the Lighthouse), but rather from many sources and users of the media (the Campfire). Social media use (in line with the Campfire) has contributed to the change from a more top-down dissemination of information to a more collective community of sharing. With this change comes the idea that social media users share information online, and therefore, their sharing behavior translates into offline behavior. In other words, the more people share online, the more they are willing to share offline. To test this hypothesis, 335 participants (age: 18-86) were asked about social media use and behavior, sharing services usage offline and online, willingness to use sharing services, and comfort with sharing in general. Results showed that social media use and online behaviors are positively associated with participation in sharing services offline, willingness to use sharing services offline, and a greater comfort with sharing in general.