Digital money is increasingly common in everyday life. Financial institutions defining cashless solutions as safe, clean and smooth, in part drive this transition. As digital monies become common, the cultural meaning of money is contested. Not being able to use cash is undermining a sense of freedom and creates fear of an increasing social inequality, since access to digital services is uneven in society. The aim of COMPEL is to investigate how the cultural meaning of cash and digital monies is contested, negotiated and reconfigured in an emerging cashless society. COMPEL will focus on different money practices across four social arenas: The Home, The Retail Store, Transportation, and Media. The results are important to banks, retailers, consumer organizations, public authorities and policy makers since the project address the imminent risks of the digital divide.

2024

2027