My perception of the transformation from tangible to intangible interactions mainly took shape during my high school years when all physical and paper transactions became digital. I moved to the U.S. to study when I was 14 and have only been back to China (where my home is) once in the past few years. There wasn’t a specific moment when I noticed the change, but at some point, I realized just how popular and common digital payments had become. People now use Apple Pay or Alipay (which is like a combination of PayPal and Apple Pay), and there is no longer a need for cash or physical credit cards.

I remember a few years ago when I went back home. My parents and I were heading to a festival market with lots of shops. I was in a rush for dinner and forgot to bring my wallet, so I asked my mom to wait while I ran back to get it. To my surprise, she questioned why I even needed a wallet. At that moment, I suddenly realized that I didn’t need it at all while I was home. The only reason I carried a wallet all the time was because the small town where I attended high school didn’t support Apple Pay in most stores. That was the moment I truly recognized how much the world had changed. Nowadays, even here in New York, very few people carry cash with them. And it’s really making me wonder if tangible interactions with money and cash will eventually disappear altogether.