The expression sharing economy first emerged around 2005, when new business structures began to appear as the potential to harness social networking and related technologies was recognized. The concept is also considered by some to be ethically motivated, connected with a growing awareness of the need to balance the world’s finite resources against global population growth. An inspiration is said to be the Tragedy of the Commons, an economic principle which states that when individuals act purely in their own interest, if demand outweighs supply then available resources become so severely depleted that there’s a detrimental effect on everyone.