The Meaning of Internet Service Exchange Platforms for Improving The Quality of Life on a Global Scale

The systematic improvement of the quality of life is one of the key objectives of the EU’s cohesion policy for 2014-2020. The condition for the policy implementation is to improve the competence potential of human resources. This process can be smoother with the use of information and communication technologies (ICT). One of the modern tools, which enables the quick transfer and development of the individual competences of members of the global community, are "Internet service exchange platforms". Their users "meet" on a virtual market offering specific services performed within their competences and expecting in exchange equivalent services from other users. An undisputed advantage of this mechanism is a significant reduction of time needed to find an adequate service provider compared to traditional exchange models. This article is devoted to the use of "Internet service exchange platforms" in service exchange processes which occur on a global scale among Internet users. Such processes require involvement of individual competences of service providers, and frequently also their transfer, whereby they contribute to strengthening the competence potential of service recipients. Taking account of the global dimension of these processes, which is practically unbounded by any territorial divisions, we can claim that they may play an important role in building a global knowledge-based economy, whilst knowledge, which is one of the sources of competences, contributes to the quality of life.