Elon University
The prediction, in brief:

Digitizing the final mile of electronic money, where the coin and the dollar bill go the way of the vinyl LP, will make all the difference in the world. It will not only change the physical way you spend your money, it will alter the way you view your own economic being. And depending on the manner in which it is implemented, digital money might allow others to view your financial status with a decidedly discomfiting intimacy.

Predictor: Levy, Steven

Prediction, in context:

In a 1994 article for Wired magazine, Steven Levy covers the future of electronic money. Levy writes: ”Digitizing the final mile of electronic money, where the coin and the dollar bill go the way of the vinyl LP, will make all the difference in the world. It will not only change the physical way you spend your money, it will alter the way you view your own economic being. And depending on the manner in which it is implemented, digital money might allow others to view your financial status with a decidedly discomfiting intimacy.”

Biography:

Steven Levy was a 1990s technology journalist. He wrote on the topic for decades for such publications as Newsweek and Wired. He is the author of the books “Hackers,” “Artificial Life” and “Crypto.” (Author/Editor/Journalist.)

Date of prediction: December 1, 1994

Topic of prediction: Economic structures

Subtopic: E-cash

Name of publication: Wired

Title, headline, chapter name: E-Money (That’s What I Want)

Quote Type: Direct quote

Page number or URL of document at time of study:
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/2.12/emoney_pr.html

This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Lusk, James T.