In many countries, paying for things using mobile phone apps is becoming increasingly common. Does this development have more advantages or more disadvantages?

In today’s technologically advanced world, the use of mobile phone apps for making payment for the goods purchased is becoming extremely popular. Though this trend has proved its effectiveness and merits, one can certainly not ignore the demerits of this. This essay will discuss both sides of the argument and prove that the advantages of using mobile apps outweigh the disadvantages. On the one hand, convenience is one of the most important reasons for the growing popularity of digital payment apps. People do not have to carry cash for buying goods and this enables them to experience hassle free shopping. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, mobile phone apps proved to be the safest and the most convenient way to carry out day to day financial transactions. Another plus point of using phone apps is that a digital record of all transactions is easily available and hence a person does not have to keep track of the money spent. For example, I prefer to use PhonePe app for paying at fuel stations so that I can keep a record of my commuting expenses easily. On the other hand, mobile phone apps do not have a high level security system so they are susceptible/vulnerable to cyberattacks. Also, sometimes elderly individuals who are not as tech savvy as young individuals find it very inconvenient to use these apps. For example, my grandmother is not comfortable using touch screen smart phones and she prefers having regular mobile phone with buttons. So, it is not possible for her to use phone paying apps. In conclusion, there is a new trend of using mobile phone apps while performing transactions. There are some disadvantages associated with this trend, however; it is the need of the new era and the advantages provided by mobile apps certainly outweigh the disadvantages.