I just saw this post on X, and it got me thinking—about money. Specifically, about what it means to grow up in a world where you might never actually touch it.
The post mentioned Gen Z not handling physical money. And sure, they know what money is—they see the numbers in their bank app, they use Venmo to split dinner, DoorDash to order food, maybe even PayPal or Zelle to pay rent. But how many have physically held a dollar bill or a coin? Are there young adults out there who have never actually touched cash?
It seems very possible. A paycheck is direct deposit. A coffee is tapped and paid via Apple Pay. Everything lives in the cloud or on the screen. That alone could shift their entire psychological relationship with money. If it’s just a number on a phone, does it feel real?
I’m 47, a late-stage Gen Xer. I’ve held change in my pocket, folded bills in my wallet, even balanced a checkbook—manually. I grew up in a world without YouTube or cell phones, where money was tangible. It was paper, metal, and weight in your hand. There’s a visceral connection that came with counting bills or digging for quarters. It made money feel more finite, more “real.”
So it’s fascinating—and a little disorienting—to think about how younger generations process the concept of money. Not better or worse, just different. I don’t have the answers. I’m not Gen Z, and I’m not speaking for them. But I imagine this shift away from physical money changes how people see value, savings, even spending.
Sometimes I find myself marveling at how much the world has changed during my lifetime. And I wonder what it’s like to grow up with everything—videos, money, information—only ever existing in digital form. For kids still figuring out who they are, it must shape their worldview in ways we can barely guess at.
Just something that struck me. One of those passing thoughts that hits you and makes you pause.
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