The biggest problem with a cashless society is the question of who controls everything. When you have cash in your hands, you are the one who determines its use, and its acceptability as a means of exchange is set by yourself and the other person in the transaction (Cashier, etc.).
When you move to a cashless society, you bring in a third-party that now controls the whole transaction, and YOUR money really isn't YOURS unless THEY let you do what you want to do with it. It is identical to the problem that happens when a bank screws up and doesn't permit you to use your debit or credit card. Suddenly what should be yours to use, isn't REALLY yours, because you don't have access to it.
The other dark side of cashless interactions is the single point of control / abuse. It all brings back a memory of the Sandra Bullock movie 'The Net', where her personal life was 'upgraded' to a new version! I don't really want to go to a cashless society, where I give up all my rights to use MY money as I want. I'm no druggie, and I don't deal with illegal trade, rather I am suspicious of those who want to control my currency.
Think back to pre-WWII, where in Germany the value of the currency fell so much that it truly took a wheelbarrel full of CASH to purchase a loaf of bread! Devaluation of your money can still occur either in a cash or cash-less society, but at least in a cash-based society, you CAN have something physical to represent an exchange value, and people really react to having to lug a bucket-full of coin to the 7-11 for a slurpee. People won't notice 'as much' if suddenly a cash-less devaluation occurs to your currency, because your 'smart card' won't get any heavier, though the decimal place in your account balance may shift a little to the left.
Keep control over your own ability to buy and sell, resist the Cashless Society and those who want to take away your ability to control your own money.
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The biggest problem with a cashless society is the question of who controls everything. When you have cash in your hands, you are the one who determines its use, and its acceptability as a means of exchange is set by yourself and the other person in the transaction (Cashier, etc.). When you move to a cashless society, you bring in a third-party that now controls the whole transaction, and YOUR money really isn't YOURS unless THEY let you do what you want to do with it. It is identical to the problem that happens when a bank screws up and doesn't permit you to use your debit or credit card. Suddenly what should be yours to use, isn't REALLY yours, because you don't have access to it. The other dark side of cashless interactions is the single point of control / abuse. It all brings back a memory of the Sandra Bullock movie 'The Net', where her personal life was 'upgraded' to a new version! I don't really want to go to a cashless society, where I give up all my rights to use MY money as I want. I'm no druggie, and I don't deal with illegal trade, rather I am suspicious of those who want to control my currency. Think back to pre-WWII, where in Germany the value of the currency fell so much that it truly took a wheelbarrel full of CASH to purchase a loaf of bread! Devaluation of your money can still occur either in a cash or cash-less society, but at least in a cash-based society, you CAN have something physical to represent an exchange value, and people really react to having to lug a bucket-full of coin to the 7-11 for a slurpee. People won't notice 'as much' if suddenly a cash-less devaluation occurs to your currency, because your 'smart card' won't get any heavier, though the decimal place in your account balance may shift a little to the left. Keep control over your own ability to buy and sell, resist the Cashless Society and those who want to take away your ability to control your own money.