Read on Twitter
Why you shouldn't Venmo your friends 
We have this belief that before money, we did complicated exchanges amongst one another. One cow for thirty bushels of wheat or whatever.
According to David Graeber in "Debt: The First 5,000 Years," we have no record of that actually being the economic system anywhere pre-money.
According to David Graeber in "Debt: The First 5,000 Years," we have no record of that actually being the economic system anywhere pre-money.
Instead, if we were making exchanges with people we knew, we just gave each other stuff and expected that someday they'd help us out too.
I'll share the meat from my hunt with you, you'll help me build a hut when I need a new one.
I'll share the meat from my hunt with you, you'll help me build a hut when I need a new one.
The invention of money let us deal with strangers.
Since we didn’t live together, we didn’t have that built in trust that they’d return the favor eventually. So we used money instead.
Money is what you use when you don’t trust the other person to return an equal favor to you.
Since we didn’t live together, we didn’t have that built in trust that they’d return the favor eventually. So we used money instead.
Money is what you use when you don’t trust the other person to return an equal favor to you.
So when you venmo your friends for every round of drinks, you’re telling them “I don’t trust you to do me an equal favor in the future.”
You aren't part of my tribe, so I need to settle my accounts with you now.
You aren't part of my tribe, so I need to settle my accounts with you now.
I didn't realize how nice making this change was until I moved to Austin from NYC and it was no longer the norm to Venmo people for small things.
It creates much more of a community vibe, and I definitely recommend adopting it as much as possible if you haven't already.
It creates much more of a community vibe, and I definitely recommend adopting it as much as possible if you haven't already.
