Sat, Nov 09 2024
I talked about how the history of banking has not kept up with the development of financial technology in my last column.
Although the instruments we use to bank varies, the process is essentially the same. We receive money, transfer money, and finally release money. Money was and is essentially a transactional medium.
Nevertheless, money is not at all transactional.
The means by which we succeed or fail are provided by money. It delineates the social classes inside our communities and the position that our nations hold globally.
Money defines a large portion of the events that take place in the arch between the time of our birth and death.
On the savannah, our ancestors lived as hunter-gatherers. The new grasses are the office these days. The prehistoric people hunted prey and consumed it. These days, we are virtually cut off from that process and primarily depend on trade to purchase the food we need to thrive.
The medium through which we and our civilizations are driven is money. Money, as they say, "makes the world go round."
"I think, therefore I am," was a famous statement made by philosopher Descartes. Alternatively, he may say, "I spend, therefore I am," given the consumer-driven culture of today.
It should come as no surprise that money has crept into our minds and started to influence our inner monologue. If you're anything like me, money comes up in a lot of our chats. Unfortunately, these interactions are usually negative; in my experience, they are consistently negative.
According to a study done by Bankrate US, the biggest thing that has a detrimental effect on US citizens' mental health is stress about money. A study by the UK's Money and Pension Service on over 10,000 adults found that 19 million people, or 36% of the population, suffer from financial worry. The study also revealed that private renters (51%) and parents (48%), together with young adults (18 to 34%), are the groups most likely to experience financial anxiety.
Regretfully, half of the people in the UK do not feel confident enough to manage their finances, and many of them choose to avoid thinking about money because of associated fears.This explains why so many people don't feel prepared to face their financial concerns head-on.
I've been urging people to do a little exercise lately: close your eyes and consider your relationship with money. What observes do you? Handcuffs, constant battle, and an albatross around my neck have been a few of the answers. Never once has there been a pleasant mental impression, even from those who, on the surface, one would think are well-off monetarily.
What are this negativity's underlying causes? An increased level of comprehension required? or an unclear state of affairs at the moment? These statements are all accurate. However, there's something far more fundamental at work here.
In theory, money needs to be able to perform a lot of things, including look forward. From an evolutionary perspective, anxiety stems from our body's attempt to decide what to do. We are still prone to fight-or-flight responses. Our financial discussions appear to have centered around this archaic conundrum, so we're always trying to figure out what to do. And it's this—addressing our relationship with money—that digital transformation hasn't been able to accomplish thus far.
Imagine discussing wise decision-making in life with one of your kids. We have a gut feeling that they won't be in the best frame of mind to make the best decisions if they are depressed or anxious. With money, it's the same story. If having money makes individuals anxious or afraid, how can they make the right decisions? It is well known that improving a child's self-esteem and providing stabilization for a depressed or nervous child are crucial. The same holds true with cash. The first step needs to be establishing or repairing that relationship. We are aware that friends and family are not reliable. Although most are in the same situation, talking openly about money is still frowned upon.
We require a means of communicating with our finances and establishing a healthy bond with them. Furthermore, I am not using metaphors. To be honest, I'd like to talk to my money. I want my money to tell me what it means to be alive today and to be alive tomorrow. It should talk to me about my goals and desires and what I can do to make them come true. It should provide me advice, educate me, and let me know when to save and invest. I want it to inform me how to handle my family's finances and offer me ideas to assist me get out of problems.
And perhaps technology holds the solution. Recently, I observed something really intriguing. I say to ChatGPT, "please" and "thank you." Of the more than 100 respondents to an online survey I conducted, 82% are following suit. Whether we like it or not, we have all begun to humanize technology. Indeed, GenAI is the closest thing to magic that humanity will ever witness. It reacts in a way that suggests we are becoming emotionally involved with it.
My theory is straightforward. Finances need to be anthropomorphized. Conversational interfaces utilizing the intelligence of GenAI may allow us to communicate with our money.Actually talk to it, like I say. Thus, in addition to offering simple transactional functions, technology might offer a way to communicate with currency.
What do you know? All the components are present. They haven't yet been put together properly. Furthermore, while errors and hallucinations are problems, making mistakes is also a part of being human.
Leave a Comment