FTA: &quot;Faced with a widening wealth gap and the slowest economic growth in more than two decades, millions like Xiong find themselves priced out of the big cities and are rejecting the consumer trappings of a modern lifestyle. Instead, they’re embracing the sharing economy to a far greater degree than their Western counterparts.&quot;<p>Ah, so rising rent and stagnant wages are causing reduction in lifestyle among the youthful. The article could be shortened to &quot;people have less money, so they are forced to make do with less.&quot; There are many discussions about these cultural memes spawned by downward economic trends; some items are useful (sharing a power tool instead of purchasing), but they&#x27;re the result of funding being constrained and people&#x27;s expectations adjusting downward as a result. These people are not sworn to poverty, so I doubt they are actually happy to own nothing, so much as grudgingly adapting to owning less than their parents.<p>EDIT: Communes can make a comeback gracefully as part of this economic trend, but it&#x27;s still important to understand that generations losing wealth isn&#x27;t a positive thing.