The Cashless Society in Practice

Abstract

This paper critically discusses the transformation of Sweden towards becoming a cashless society. It is based on an in-depth study of how the idea about a cashless society is translated and unfolded in practice, by a bank’s actor network. The case study was done at one of the largest private banks in Sweden, that in 2011 started a transformation of becoming cashless. The “implementation” was finished during the fall of 2014 and the outcome of this study shows a new mobilized actor network where actors have become enrolled, however, some are still not convinced. The translation process among actors was influenced by different understandings as context, cultural meanings and interests, which affected their level of conviction. Thus, different understandings, new technology and practices, have challenged and opened up the black-box of banking that previously was taken for granted. This indicates that a bank as a macro actor has the ability to affect and transform its environment, building a network with actors around a cashless bank, even though everyone is not satisfied. This further indicates an actor-network still translating and negotiating, why the black-box of banking is still considered as open.