Today is my 40-somethingth birthday.

Thank you.

My long suffering partner has decided she’d rent me The Killing as that would be much more environmentally friendly than buying me a set of DVDs which would only be watched once or twice.

Great – a good example of how businesses can provide us with the service we want (Sarah Lund) rather than the stuff (polycarbonate etc). The stuff can be sent off to entertain someone else rather than cluttering up our living room.

Except…

Deep in my brain, the voice of my inner spoiled child is shouting “Where’s my presents?! I want my presents!”

This is the problem facing the collaborative/sharing economy – many of us, even those of us who think we ‘get it’, have been programmed from birth to relish stuff over experience. Even those ‘experience’ presents you can buy your loved ones come in a big box to satisfy some psychological need to give people stuff.

Funny, then, when reminiscing, it’s the memories of experiences we cherish, not stuff.

I live in hope that the younger generation is shedding the stuff-hoarding habit – experiencing their lives and likes digitally as MP3s, JPGs, eBooks, Apps and streamed movies rather than the shelves groaning with once-watched DVDs that seem to be the badge of honour of my generation.

In the meantime I will put my inner child on the naughty step and tell it firmly “I want, never gets” but I fear it will mutter under its breath for a while longer.