When did owing someone money become a social activity?
This new wave of money-sharing apps has me a little nervous. I was always taught that you kept your financial information private — like Seal Team Six level of private. But now, my financial information is everywhere! I disclose my information to buy things online, order takeout, and most recently, to pay folks back that I.O.U.
Not to sound too long-in-the-tooth, but in my day when I owed someone money, it was a private exchange. In college, I either wrote a check to my roommates to pay them back for groceries or got cash at the ATM.
When did owing someone money become a social activity?
Now apps like PayPal and Venmo (yes, I am newly aware that PayPal owns Venmo) allow you to write messages with the money you are sending. Is this sweet? Or is this creepy? I am new to Venmo and, although I find it very convenient, it’s odd to me that I can see what my friends are paying others for.
For example, is it weird that I now know my neighbor Sally sent my other neighbor Beth money for (insert two wine bottle emojis) on Wednesday night? Why do I need to know that? And, why does my brother-in-law’s social network need to know that I sent him money for movie tickets?
The convenience to share my financial information and announce my new purchase is just a little too close for my liking. But am I resisting by taking out my checkbook to pay people back or pulling out a wad of cash? Nope. I just go to the app store and download the next app to make spending my hard-earned paycheck even easier.
Every day I tap, insert, and swipe my card hoping the identity protection company (whom I also allow to automatically withdraw from my account) keeps my #### private. My son asks me every time we are at the grocery store, “Mom, can I press the Green button?” But, soon I’m sure even that little green button will be non-existent, a relic of the past.
I will say that I have drawn a line (it may be in the sand and it may be dotted, but it’s still a line). I will not send money through email or Google Pay — and I will not send money through text, Facebook Messenger. And as for digital wallet apps (yep I’m looking at you Apple Pay and Square Cash), I’m holding on to my genuine leather wallet I’ve had for years and that does a great job holding my non-digital monies.
Kyle lives in Athens, GA with her spouse and four-year-old son. In 2019 she became a board member for Athens Pride. In her spare time, she coaches her son’s soccer team and she and in the fall she and her family spend Saturdays cheering on the Georgia Bulldawgs! Although her schedule keeps her busy, Kyle is an introvert at heart and loves time spent with a warm blanket, a good book, and a pot of tea (...and something sweet).