62 The Effect of Credit Cards

Introduction:

Ever since credit cards were introduced in the mid-20th century, they have become an essential piece of technology for consumers worldwide. In today’s age, the ability to use credit cards is unmatched in how we spend money by offering convenience and flexibility. Along with these benefits come other significant changes in consumer behavior, typically through compulsive buying and overspending to the consumer. These impacts have considerably changed how consumers use our money and spend our hard-earned money. This chapter will examine the social factors that play a part in these behaviors and how they relate to you and the rest of society.

Connection to STS:

The study of credit cards and how they impact consumers can be categorized through science, technology, and society(STS). Looking at STS through technological innovations such as credit cards, we can see the influence on social practices and individual behaviors accompanying credit cards. You can assume that many readers of this chapter have used some payment method in the past week. Analyzing how spending money has a considerable impact throughout our day shows how dependent a form of payment like credit cards is on our lifestyle. Understanding these connections helps us appreciate the broader societal effects of credit card usage and gives a gateway for addressing the associated challenges.

History of the credit card:

Going back to ancient Mesopotamia, the first recorded interaction between a seller and a buyer was able to pay for a product later. The most notable credit card event that resembles today goes back to the 1950s. Frank McNamara and Ralph Schneider introduced the Diners Club Cardas as the first charge card with significant popularity. This card was influenced by Frank leaving his wallet at home while going out to eat. This event would lead to the first modern charge card. The card would work when the customer pays using the card, and the place of service would send a bill to the Diners Club, then send money from the Diners Club to the place of service’s bank. The diner club would make a small amount of money off each transaction, and the customer would have to pay all the bills at the end of the month (Frankel & Lupini, 2024). In 1958, one of today’s primary credit card distributors, American Express, released their first charge card. One of the factors of ease of use of the credit card was invented in the 1960s by an IMB engineer, placing magnetic tape on the back of the card to identify the consumer. The consumer would swipe the card, and the place of service would be able to have their information. This would be the invention of the swipe stripe, which would become the standard way to use credit cards and virtually all cards today have it. In the 1980 and into the 90s, credit cards introduced a way to get consumers to spend more: a rewards program for spending money. These credit cards would introduce things like cash back to become a desired tool when checking out.

Through techniques that credit card companies bear on, credit cards can activate the reward feeling in the brain. This level of enjoyment can lead to an increase in spending and increase compulsive buying. Compulsive buying is the craving to continue buying more than you need or can afford. When consumers utilize credit cards, the act of purchasing can make it hard to realize that you are losing money when swiping the card. This psychological change can persuade you to think you have more money to spend than you actually have. On the other hand, while using cash, you typically can feel a more significant loss of monetary value. This mental belief that you have to give something to get something can lead to less compulsive buying and realizing what you are giving up to receive your purchase. This transaction method can lead to a pattern of compulsive buying, where individuals continue to spend more money to get that short-term satisfaction, often leading to financial consequences down the road.

The satisfaction of purchasing through credit cards has been shown to allow consumers to spend money more easily. This habit can lead to debt. Debt is something of value that is borrowed and is planned to be given back, and in looking at credit cards, it would be money. Along with this increase in access to credit over the years, debt has become a primary concern for many. Overconsumption can now lead to high costs in the future as their debt has to be paid off. This debt between many people can add up and have severe consequences. This can lead to economic instability because consumers have less buying power, vital for economic growth. This instability can be seen through the great depression and the 2008 financial crisis. Much of this can be tied to having more available options to use credit to consumers who need to be more informed on how to use credit properly.

Conclusion:

Credit cards have undoubtedly become a large part of consumer behavior while having some controversial consequences. While they make it easy to purchase and an easy way to use credit, they also can lead many to compulsive and overspending. The rising debt also poses a concern for consumers and how it can affect the economy. A large part of these concerns come from uninformed consumers on how to use credit cards in a responsible manner. Understanding these psychological and economic impacts shows how credit cards are a large part of our way of life and how we spend our money.

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