From Bread to Barcodes

Picture this; you walk into a grocery store and are looking for a type of bread that is low in carbs and  is whole wheat. Instead of spending hours looking at every loaf of bread in the isle you simply walk up to a loaf and scan the bar code on the back, and are given all the nutrition information about the product along with the information about other competitors.  This simple task could save you a lot of time and frustration instead of searching every loaf in the isle, hoping you get lucky enough and happen to pull down the right product.  

This type of activity is becoming more and more prominent in todays society as companies such as GOOGLE and SCVNGR are literally giving away QR stickers for products to many retailers all across the world.  This isn't just a big deal because we can now use our phones for things other then Facebook or Trivia Crack, but because we are making a connection between the digital realm and the physical world.  These scanning tiles allow you to do all kinds of different things such as checking in your location to your friends via social media, and posting about the product on social media platforms.  According to mashable.com, companies such as Stickybits and Bakodo are creating communities through these scanning tiles.  All you need to complete this is the app to scan the code itself and the code and you're ready to give it a shot!

Starting out as simply a way for users to compare items when shopping, companies such as those listed above have created a new and rising way to engage in social media.  I not only think that these bar codes and scanning tiles are beneficial for society, I think that we will see the rise in these symbols in our everyday life.  Relating back to the bread shopping adventure, I believe that one day we won't even need to go searching a store for items.  It wouldn't surprise me if one day we could simply walk up to a store, can the product that we want and be directed right to the location where it is at and all the information about the product (along with ratings, social media posts about the product, and various images).  The rise of technology connecting the digital world and physical world  is very interesting to me and makes me wonder just how close we will get to connecting digital functions and everyday activities as time progresses.

source:

http://mashable.com/2010/08/20/top-5-social-media-trends/