The QR (Quick Response) code is an output device that allows
the creator of the code to more efficiently communicate a message. Kneese
(2014) sated “The QR code’s history is intrinsically tied to a quest
for efficiency.” In business, QR code efficiencies can be achieved
through space savings in advertising and by saving customers’ time. A few key
words in a print ad can spark a customer’s interest, they can scan the QR code,
and then read it later. The QR code allows the customer to scan, and then to quickly
be on their way.
Kneese (2014) wrote about a unique use for QR codes:
encoding information and applying the QR code to a memorial headstone at a
cemetery. I live in Georgia, but many of my family members lived and died in
California. I rarely travel to California:
Families now often live in geographically disparate areas,
meaning that frequently visiting gravesites
is not a possibility. QR codes on headstones link a gravesite in one geographic location to a virtual
public space that can be accessed from anywhere, allowing graveyard visitors and those from
afar to link to the same memorial website while inducing a sense of shared experience.
Accessing a QR code with information on my dead family members
would allow me to feel closer to them and help to facilitate genealogy work.
Like any technology, the use of QR codes may become obsolete.
Kneese (2014) explains threats to the endurance of utilizing QR codes as a
means for communicating:
QR codes
rely on the persistent value of the object in which they are embedded. QR codes rely on many mundane but crucial
pieces of infrastructure to continue operating: the computer vision software that detects and decodes the
code; the maintenance of links or domain registrations
of the associated websites; the ongoing operation of the websites themselves;
and even the persistence of the
basic infrastructure of the web.
Kneese,
Tamara (2014, May 21). QR Codes for the Dead: Graveyards are becoming smart
spaces, but
will today’s technology last
for eternity. The Atlantic. Retrieved
from
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/05/qr-codes-for-the-dead/370901/
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