The aim of this study was to identify the factors inducing customers to choose cashless payments made with payment cards at retail and service outlets during the COVID-19 pandemic. We identified factors that are crucial for consumers’ functioning under pandemic conditions, but which have so far been neglected in research. The estimated logit model indicates that the variables significantly influencing the more frequent choice of payment cards at retail outlets are related to the fear of infection and perception of the advantages of new technological solutions in connection with social distancing. Our study shows that, in addition to sociodemographic characteristics such as age and level of education, emotionally motivated factors induced by the pandemic have begun to play an important role in the transition to cashless payment.

In 1947 Jerzy Łoś proposed a positional logic based on the realization operator. We follow his work and present it in the context of fundamental challenges of sociology such as the complexity of social reality and reflexivity of social agents. The paper is an outline of the general concept, as it opens a discussion and sets ground for future elaborations. In this paper, we are considering the concept according to which the expressions put forward by Łoś’s system might be indexed not only by spatial and temporal variables, but also by social contexts. And as such Łoś’s system might be a significant improvement, a valuable addition for social simulations and computational sociology, which use multi-agent systems and agent-based modeling. We consider how Łoś’s operator might be useful for these disciplines, as it gives a chance to combine of formalization with the humanistic coefficient, which represents the issues of complexity and reflexivity of social agents.

As more and more societies are transforming into cashless economies, questions about the social nature of this transformation are arising. With this paper we present specific insights into the process of the institutionalization of cashlessness in Poland. The paper elaborates the concept that the institutional field of cashlessness emerges with the gradual expansion of interaction structure, solidification of interests, articulation of ideas and finally the creation of sanctions and norms. The paper presents the cashlessness’ institutionalization from the perspective of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). To reach our objectives, we have used empirical data collected in SMEs’ sector research in Poland – 74 individual in-depth interviews with SMEs owners. The analysis is grounded in the qualitative research design and the theory of neo-institutionalism. We show that the complex impact of interlocked social interactions, financial sanctions, narrations, and norms are creating the matrix for SMEs’ decision whether to implement cashless payments into their business.

Celem badania jest określenie czynników, które zwiększyły prawdopodobieństwo dostrzeżenia przydatności rozwiązań cyfrowych w czasie pandemii. W pracy uwzględniono matrycę podstawowych czynników społeczno-demograficznych, indywidualnych doświadczeń z rozwiązaniami cyfrowymi w czasie pandemii Covid-19 oraz czynników specyficznych narzuconych wyłącznie przez pandemię (strach przed kontaktem z ludźmi). W artykule wykorzystano wyniki badania przeprowadzonego na reprezentatywnej pod względem wieku, płci i miejsca zamieszkania próbie 1000 dorosłych mieszkańców Polski. Jako metodę analizy wykorzystano modelowanie logitowe. Badanie wykazało istotny pozytywny wpływ korzystania z elektronicznej administracji, edukacji, konsultacji, zakupów oraz zdalnej komunikacji interpersonalnej w czasie pandemii Covid-19 na ogólne dostrzeganie przydatności technologii cyfrowych. W artykule założono, że pandemia wzmacnia tworzenie społeczeństwa cyfrowego w wyniku masowych, pozytywnych i stosunkowo nowych e-doświadczeń.

In this article, we present the positional logic that is suitable for the formalization of reasoning about social phenomena. It is the effect of extending the Minimal Realisation (MR) logic with new expressions. These expressions allow, inter alia, to consider different points of view of social entities (humanistic coefficient). In the article, we perform a metalogical analysis of this logic. Finally, we present some simple examples of its application.