Patterns of Exclusion in the Electronic Economy

We live in a world which is increasingly electronic, particularly in terms of the global economy. However, the development of information and communication technology is also affecting personal finances. Far more people than ever before now have bank accounts, use cheque cards, credit cards, debit cards and ‘smart’ cards, and pay their bills by direct debit or standing order. Their accounts are not just with traditional banks, but with building societies and supermarkets, and they may be accessed by phone or computer. All these developments, which are included within the term ‘the electronic economy’, are likely to make money increasingly abstract and invisible, and to change the ways in which individuals and families control and allocate their resources.