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From paper to plastic: the changing face of consumerism
Category: softwareConsumerism has taken on a new form over the past 15 years. With the advent of the internet era, consumer culture has evolved into a genuine, round-the-clock possibility for everyone. All thats needed is a networked computer and a credit or debit card.
The World Wide Web is a virtual shopping centre, with supermarkets, travel agents, electrical outlets, clothing retailers, bookstores and more, all easily accessible to people in the remotest of locations, 24 hours a day.
This shift from paper to plastic payments has made it much easier to track how much money we spend too, with digital transactions easily monitored via online and mobile banking, so wherever we go, a few key-taps is all it takes to analyse every penny spent.
This can only be a good thing. At a time when many people may be watching their pennies, its easy to look back at two months worth of spending and see exactly where their money is going and make changes accordingly.
Modern consumer culture is also a matter of convenience. Wherever we go, all we need is a simple credit card, we can pay for parking, and a night out in a restaurant will never end with a oops, I forget to go to the ATM. Credit and debit cards make everyones lives a whole lot easier.
There are situations when credit cards arent only useful, but mandatory.
Most car hire companies will expect a credit card when booking, as its used to secure the car against any damage or any other costs incurred whilst the car is on the road. Many hotels will require a credit card to secure the payment of the room.
However, even if no payment is actually taken from the card at the hotel, many people dont realise that a section of the balance on the card may be put-aside by the hotel as security, which effectively means that much of the remaining balance is reduced for the duration of the stay. This can cause problems if the customer subsequently decides to go out shopping, or go to a nice restaurant.
When securing anything with a credit card, its always best to double-check with the service provider what they have actioned on the credit card. Or alternatively, many people have a secondary credit card so that they never have to wash the dishes at the end of their posh meal at a swanky restaurant.
The gradual move from paper to plastic may well eventually lead to an entirely cashless society, and many people already rarely carry more than a few pounds in change with them. There is, after all, very little need to do so.
Isla Campbell writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.
