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'I Can't Even Buy Apples If I Don't Use Mobile Pay?': When Mobile Payments Become Infrastructural in China

Authors:

Jason I. HongAuthors Info & Claims

Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, Volume 4, Issue CSCW2

Article No.: 170, Pages 1 - 26

https://doi.org/10.1145/3415241

Published: 15 October 2020 Publication History

Abstract

Despite slow adoption in the US, mobile payments are thede facto solution for hundreds of millions of users in China for everything from paying bills to riding buses, from sending virtual "Red Packets'' to buying money-market funds. In this paper, we use the theoretical lens of infrastructure to study users' interactions with ubiquitous mobile payment systems in China, focusing on Alipay and WeChat Pay, the two dominant apps on the market. Based on data from a survey (n=466) and follow-up interviews (n=12) with users in China, we describe the diverse usage patterns across physical, social, and digital ubiquity, and a series of challenges people face. Reflecting on the lessons we learned from the Chinese case -- in particular, problems and pitfalls -- we discuss some implications both for design and for policy. Our findings have important implications for other countries that have been moving towards greater adoption of mobile payments.

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Index Terms

'I Can't Even Buy Apples If I Don't Use Mobile Pay?': When Mobile Payments Become Infrastructural in China
1. Human-centered computing
  1. Human computer interaction (HCI)

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cover image Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction

Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction Volume 4, Issue CSCW2

CSCW

October 2020

2310 pages

EISSN:2573-0142

DOI:10.1145/3430143

Editor:
Jeff Nichols
Apple Inc.

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Copyright © 2020 ACM.

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Publication History

Published: 15 October 2020

Published in PACMHCI Volume 4, Issue CSCW2

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https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3637297
Li JSun KHuff BBierley AKim YSchaub FFawaz K(2023)“It’s up to the Consumer to be Smart”: Understanding the Security and Privacy Attitudes of Smart Home Users on Reddit2023 IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy (SP)10.1109/SP46215.2023.10179344(2850-2866)Online publication date: May-2023
https://doi.org/10.1109/SP46215.2023.10179344
Tang M(2023)After “BAT,” What? Reimagining the internet for social development in post-crisis ChinaChinese Journal of Communication10.1080/17544750.2023.227299216:4(395-409)Online publication date: 24-Oct-2023
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