Since the internet came along (that computer thing where you buy stuff, get free porn and learn lots of interesting things) the world has changed. That’s not news to anyone. You can google it and see for yourself. But I always saw such changes as a way to provide minor enhancement to our lives, rather than the reality which is total domination.

So as well as buying books, music and clothes online, as we all do pretty much without a second thought, the ability to be in contact with ‘everyone in the entire fucking world at all times’ has led to more subtle changes too.

Because if you need to buy, sell or rent anything at all, you no longer have to put up a little postcard in the newsagent’s window or take an ad. in Thursday’s edition of the local paper. You do it NOW, you can have photos, descriptions, videos and within 20 seconds a nomadic tribesman from Papua New Guinea can buy your almost new garage door motor. Just what he needs. Good old ebay.

But as we can now have almost instant access to almost anything, it means planning is not so essential. You can arrange things on a day-to-day basis. So instead of buying or renting a home, people ‘couch surf’, or use airB&B, to live all over the place, as they please.

Where would you store your ‘stuff’??? Ahhhh, that’s the good bit. You don’t have any ‘stuff’ any longer, you just ‘share’ it. Although this is not ‘sharing’ in the old understanding of joint ownership or quid pro quo (you lend me yours and I’ll lend you mine). No, this is ‘sharing’ for a price.

So you can ‘car-share’ by renting cars by the hour, and you can even rent a pet for a few hours. To impress… errr… well to have the opportunity to go round with a latex glove picking up dogshit. Then Fido goes back to his/her rightful owner and the world is right once more.

If you need that ‘special frock’ for a party or a wedding or the transvestite ball, you just rent one for a few hours (ball gown in size 44 chest, 38 inside leg, per-lease) and then return it, staying once again unencumbered and free to move possessionlessly around town/country/wherever.

The market for ‘sharing’ stuff, but including Uber and other rental services is reckoned to be worth £225 billion over the next 10 years. And that’s a lotta tax that isn’t going to be paid. In which case, I heartily approve.

Its almost Marxist in its simplicity. All possession is theft, said Carl. Now its more that all possession is impractical and unnecessary. Holds you back, ties you down.

Where would I keep all my football programs?

Happy Tuesday

A xxxx