Info 202 Fall 2011

QR codes are a barcode that store information much like those used on products at supermarkets. With the evolution of the smartphone, QR codes have become ubiquitous. A silicone bracelet made by a company called Skanz, embellished with QR codes can allow anyone with a smartphone to scan and access one’s personal information, social media links, and favorite photos and videos.

Skanz’s new product has essentially replaced business cards as a modern way of communication. People scan one another to access information. Rather than giving out numbers in bars, singles have resorted to the alternative of “Scan me.”

Originally created in Japan in the 1990s, QR codes merge the physical and virtual world. Retailers, publishers, arts institutions, musicians, government organizations and charties are increasingly employing QR codes to reach out to consumers via advertising. The Museum of Modern Art’s “Talk to Me” exhibition marks the first time the museum has put bar codes on labels of every object in an exhibition. Starbucks used QR codes in a digital scavenger hunt to promote Lady Gaga’s latest album, and HBO used QR codes in a commercial for “True Blood.” The US Army is beginning to put QR codes in the windows of recruiting centers to applicants may apply after hours.

The QR bracelet responds to the question: “Who has time to give out all of that information?” On the other hand, it touches upon some of the information privacy issues we discussed in class. Will Skanz, aside from conglomerating information about its users, breach their privacy without notification? What if one loses the physical bracelet, what can users to guard themselves against identity theft? It would be interesting to see the impact QR has as smartphones and social computing becomes more intertwined in our everyday lives.