The mythology of electronic money in the culture of the information society

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to define the specific features of the mythology of electronic money in the culture of the information society. There are determined three main aspects of the problem. First, the mythology of money includes a number of misconceptions in the field of economic knowledge. The main misconception is the idea that electronic money is primarily a material carrier of information about the number of monetary units in an account. In this misconception, information and the form of its presentation are an inseparable whole. Second, the modern mythology of money is represented by irrational ideas about how money can be acquired. In particular, it is idea that electronic money appears as a result of the game of chance, as a consequence of luck, as a «miracle». Third, the mythology of money is a secondary semiotic system, it is a set of additional meanings that reflect the impact of the world of finance on man and society. Features of the mythology of electronic money as a secondary semiotic system are a mystification of money, the interpretation of money as a magical force that is beyond the control of people, but affects them. The mystification trend is directly related to the peculiarities of electronic money itself: it is not a thing and has no significance.