I think we need to remove barriers to people getting access to the technology that's needed to function in a modern society.
In the UK, we have "basic bank accounts". These are aimed at people with bad credit history, and offer no line of credit, but do provide a debit card, which may also be used at an ATM.
How are there 70 year olds today that worked throughout the 90s and 2000s without coming across a computer?
I do wonder if these problems will eventually fizzle out, as more and more people have been exposed to technology throughout their lives and will be able to use it in their old age.
While there may be some arguments against a cashless society from a privacy point of view, it's hard to argue with the convenience and cost savings that you get from going cashless.
One problem with cashless is it gives a ton of power to all intermediaries, which often are duopolies. Google and Apple. Credit card companies (Visa and Mastercard). These are able to extract a significant sales tax (“fee”) from users and shut down accounts with little recourse. And the fact that it gives the government power to both monitor all transactions and immediately halt all transactions with that individual is like a massive Big Brother capability combined with a digital shackle that can keep anyone they want from moving. Can’t use public transit, can’t use micromobility bikes, can’t use taxis, can’t use airplanes, can’t use your car (how do you get gas? Pay tolls?), can’t even walk far as you can’t buy food.
I remember, growing up in a more “End Times” focused evangelical denomination, they were always talking about how barcodes or credit cards are maybe like the “Mark of the Beast” number in the book of Revelation, without which you can’t make any transactions. That’s paranoia, of course, but it’s also kind of a good point. A fully cashless society using our typical methods puts a massive power into the hands of the government and a few very powerful corporations.
It also tilts the power differential in favor of employers of all sizes. a local small business coffee shop I frequent doesn’t pay super well, but they do tipping. The owner can easily keep track of how much tip money comes in and uses that as an excuse to employees that they can tolerate getting paid only $8/hour because they have tips. The employer also has control of the tip money that’s paid in cashless form, and it’s not unheard of for employers to take some of that money or withhold it. I prefer to use cash for more and more purchases, but for basically all tips, I tip in cash. (And I agree tipping in general is lame, but I don’t want to punish employees for that.)
I think the best answer to this is postal banking - let people open up basic bank accounts and get other simple financial services at the post office. Do it as a public service, fee free (with charges for anything beyond basic accounts to help fund it).
>How are there 70 year olds today that worked throughout the 90s and 2000s without coming across a computer?
Manufacturing, retail. Those are just two things that I can name where I personally know people in their 50's who have no real access to computers.
>I do wonder if these problems will eventually fizzle out, as more and more people have been exposed to technology throughout their lives and will be able to use it in their old age.
I bet they don't fizzle out. Technology is always changing. At some point in their past, even the 99 year old who couldn't turn on a smartphone today was hip on the current technology of the day.
“How are there 70 year olds today that worked throughout the 90s and 2000s without coming across a computer?”
Oh, they saw the clerks using them in the office when they came in each week for their paychecks, and later on, engineers and maybe even other contractors bringing laptops on-site, perhaps even helped support a kid doing a CS degree, but plenty of 70 year olds today never had a work-related reason to touch one.
My dad spent 50 years doing construction. His employer did attempt to teach him how to use the laptop they got him those last few years he worked in the early 2010s, but settled on basically providing him an on-site secretary (recent college grad) to use it for him.
Not everyone worked - it is quite possible to be a young adult without having ever used a computer or phone - rare, but possible.
And even more so in a generation where many women stayed home and didn’t enter the labor market at all, or all those who worked any of the various manual labor jobs. Some restaurants still don’t have digital records of orders, etc to this day.
> While there may be some arguments against a cashless society from a privacy point of view, it's hard to argue with the convenience and cost savings that you get from going cashless.
I agree with your first sentence, but the summary doesn't necessarily follow.
The convenience and cost savings are not free. You are the product. Moving to a "modern society" doesn't need to involve enriching the marketing networks of the planet.
My dad is 78. He retired in 95 and never used a computer. He owns lots of them but can’t use them for day to day activities, preferring to go in person to pay bills and whatnot.
He loves to argue about convenience or as he sees it, massive inconvenience.
Usually yes. But he also clicks yes on everything asked of him. This has led to probably comical situations where he’s in the apple store trying to pay his bill. There’s no way to mail apple a check.
Recently when I refinanced I got a mortgage and the servicer (can’t remember their name as they sold to mrcooper and then to WellsFargo) that funneled everything through their app that wanted to auto withdraw from my bank. I tried to pay by check and couldn’t get an address out of them despite multiple calls and hours on the phone.
In the UK, we have "basic bank accounts". These are aimed at people with bad credit history, and offer no line of credit, but do provide a debit card, which may also be used at an ATM.
How are there 70 year olds today that worked throughout the 90s and 2000s without coming across a computer?
I do wonder if these problems will eventually fizzle out, as more and more people have been exposed to technology throughout their lives and will be able to use it in their old age.
While there may be some arguments against a cashless society from a privacy point of view, it's hard to argue with the convenience and cost savings that you get from going cashless.