摘要：The smartphone apps have revolutionized the markets of goods and services more than other recent
technologies. Although they modified the market paradigm in sectors like accommodation, transport,
or “gigs”, the changes in the way the economics systems function are still widely neglected by the
literature. We intend to analyze some of these changes and their impact, which in economic history
could only be compared with trade liberalization. The smartphone apps increase market
transparency, reduce or eliminate the entrance barriers and expand the markets to unprecedented
levels. Although we limit our observations to a few cases, the apps have the potential to revolutionize
any given market. For the first time since the economy has become a recognized science, market
transparency is more than a utopian goal. The apps are facilitating instant information transfer
between suppliers and customers. What is clear is that the increase of market transparency is not
limited to the sharing economy, but it can be found in all the segments.
关键词：market transparency; pure and perfect competition; market barriers; the app economy;
market vehicle
