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When bills pile up, young people turn to strangers on Venmo

latimes.com

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Re: When bills pile up, young people turn to strangers on Venmo

#11

Post by dgzl »

ryanmercer wrote: post #2

Their title is... ehhhh, I initially thought "oh a bunch of kids with heavy student loan debt for their liberal arts degrees are finding out adulating is hard" but in reality it is: (paraphrasing) my step-father was arrested for a DUI, can't prove citizenship, and my mom needs money to drive to another state to visit him in custody (/) This isn't novel, I've been hit up dozens of times on the street outside of shows,…

There was a local pan-handling couple who was outted on local TV for "scamming people". They were seen shopping at expensive grocery stores and driving with their car. Apparently begging was just their job and made more than a few hundred dollars a day.

Re: When bills pile up, young people turn to strangers on Venmo

#12

Post by matz1 »

ryanmercer wrote: post #6
hosh wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The larger themes are: 1. Community has always supported people in times of need, more so than government services. 2. The Internet had created distance amount community members 3. Use of the Internet for funds like this (or for Gofundme, etc.) is bringing that back, though with strangers 4. Shifting attitudes and values on whether this is acceptable 5. One Millennial is now setting aside funds for direct contributio…

The larger theme is "Technology makes it easier for individuals to beg strangers for money". I can't open social media without seeing kickstarter/indiegogo this, gofundme that, need money quick, can someone paypal/venmo me money for thing, etc. Then a day, week, month later you see pictures of their brand new cabinets or of their vacation or they are hitting people up for money again for something else because people…

But that is creative, utilizing a medium/tools outside its usual purpose.

Re: When bills pile up, young people turn to strangers on Venmo

#13

Post by temp-dude-87844 »

This is pretty common among the coming-of-age generation that has grown up on the Web. It's more likely to be tried in communities organized around shared attribute, circumstance, or interest, than just shouting into the ether. Typically, these are posted on sites where the person has followers in a similar situation, and are shared on that platform until it slowly propagates outward. Many people who share the same adverse circumstances can't donate, so they share the posting instead, spreading it further. Eventually, someone sees it who is in a position to donate. It's likely that those who donate the most are on the fringes of the original community, but feel a sense of solidarity or guilt.

The article mentions a few communities in particular. The unifying dimension seems to be that some people's real-life safety net is outweighed by their online one, even if they don't always receive the donations they ask. It's worth a try.

Re: When bills pile up, young people turn to strangers on Venmo

#14

Post by phil248 »

komali2 wrote: post #5
ryanmercer wrote: post #2

Their title is... ehhhh, I initially thought "oh a bunch of kids with heavy student loan debt for their liberal arts degrees are finding out adulating is hard" but in reality it is: (paraphrasing) my step-father was arrested for a DUI, can't prove citizenship, and my mom needs money to drive to another state to visit him in custody (/) This isn't novel, I've been hit up dozens of times on the street outside of shows,…

Well, yea, this is why implementing social welfare and safety nets is far better done at the government level, where you have accountability and a justice system. An attractive person holding a clever, written-in-English sign, at a football game that cost them 100$ (or whatever) to attend, garners 3000$ for beer. The ugly, dirty, illiterate homeless person that stands outside of a train station gets 5$ for food. Unfa…

Similarly why a robust welfare state is preferable to charity. Charitable giving is free to discriminate and there's no mechanism to try and move it towards those who most need it.

Re: When bills pile up, young people turn to strangers on Venmo

#15

Post by sp332 »

"millennial culture is just passing around the same $20 to whoever needs it at the time forever." I see this a lot on my Twitter feed. Recently, a guy with metabolic issues and chronic pain (whose own GoFundMe was "trending" for a while) is setting up a charity livestream for someone else's surgery. https://twitter.com/docsquiddy/status/1148022827917938695

Re: When bills pile up, young people turn to strangers on Venmo

#16

Post by 0815test »

komali2 wrote: post #5
ryanmercer wrote: post #2

Their title is... ehhhh, I initially thought "oh a bunch of kids with heavy student loan debt for their liberal arts degrees are finding out adulating is hard" but in reality it is: (paraphrasing) my step-father was arrested for a DUI, can't prove citizenship, and my mom needs money to drive to another state to visit him in custody (/) This isn't novel, I've been hit up dozens of times on the street outside of shows,…

Well, yea, this is why implementing social welfare and safety nets is far better done at the government level, where you have accountability and a justice system. An attractive person holding a clever, written-in-English sign, at a football game that cost them 100$ (or whatever) to attend, garners 3000$ for beer. The ugly, dirty, illiterate homeless person that stands outside of a train station gets 5$ for food. Unfa…

These issues aren't solved with "social welfare and safety nets", that's just throwing good money after bad. I'm totally fine with a kick-ass safety net for people who are actually in poverty, aka have trouble funding their basic needs despite very serious, sometimes strenuous efforts. But someone who is advertising their Venmo ID online is almost certainly not poor in this legitimate sense. Spending more money than you earn, and then on vapid things like social media, etc. has nothing to do with poverty.

Re: When bills pile up, young people turn to strangers on Venmo

#17

Post by supergauntlet »

daodedickinson wrote: post #9

Prostitution is certainly exploding. Anyone see appropriate reactions to this? How do we combat the loneliness epidemic that "social" media has caused? So many people raised on "social" media have no idea how to get to the kind of real, healthy relationship they want.

Don't really follow your logic here, you're conflating prostitution and a "loneliness epidemic"? Prostitution is as old as civilization itself. Older, probably. I don't see rising prostitution as indicative of anything other than 'poor people are low on options'

Re: When bills pile up, young people turn to strangers on Venmo

#18

Post by the_watcher »

ryanmercer wrote: post #6
hosh wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The larger themes are: 1. Community has always supported people in times of need, more so than government services. 2. The Internet had created distance amount community members 3. Use of the Internet for funds like this (or for Gofundme, etc.) is bringing that back, though with strangers 4. Shifting attitudes and values on whether this is acceptable 5. One Millennial is now setting aside funds for direct contributio…

The larger theme is "Technology makes it easier for individuals to beg strangers for money". I can't open social media without seeing kickstarter/indiegogo this, gofundme that, need money quick, can someone paypal/venmo me money for thing, etc. Then a day, week, month later you see pictures of their brand new cabinets or of their vacation or they are hitting people up for money again for something else because people…

I think both of these themes are equally true. Informal (and formal) community organizations have long supported those they feel are most in need, and people have long begged strangers for money. The internet simply makes it easier to do both.

Re: When bills pile up, young people turn to strangers on Venmo

#19

Post by PhasmaFelis »

0815test wrote: post #16
komali2 wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, yea, this is why implementing social welfare and safety nets is far better done at the government level, where you have accountability and a justice system. An attractive person holding a clever, written-in-English sign, at a football game that cost them 100$ (or whatever) to attend, garners 3000$ for beer. The ugly, dirty, illiterate homeless person that stands outside of a train station gets 5$ for food. Unfa…

These issues aren't solved with "social welfare and safety nets", that's just throwing good money after bad. I'm totally fine with a kick-ass safety net for people who are actually in poverty , aka have trouble funding their basic needs despite very serious, sometimes strenuous efforts. But someone who is advertising their Venmo ID online is almost certainly not poor in this legitimate sense. Spending more money than…

Exactly, that's the point. The government is much better positioned to distinguish between genuine need vs. boredom and a clever pitch that the Venmo-using public at large.

Re: When bills pile up, young people turn to strangers on Venmo

#20

Post by futureastronaut »

sp332 wrote: post #15

"millennial culture is just passing around the same $20 to whoever needs it at the time forever." I see this a lot on my Twitter feed. Recently, a guy with metabolic issues and chronic pain (whose own GoFundMe was "trending" for a while) is setting up a charity livestream for someone else's surgery. https://twitter.com/docsquiddy/status/1148022827917938695

I don't think there's such a thing as "millennial culture."
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