QR-Codes als intermediale Verknüpfungsmittel der öffentlichen Textwelt

Abstract

Summary. QR codes are not a new phenomenon, yet their use for advertising in pub­lic spaces has become more frequent during the last years. The growing digitalization of our society, and especially smartphones and mobile internet access, have brought more attention to this technology. Nevertheless, it is still not entirely clear which appli­cations of QR codes are really useful and for which scenarios they will become gene­rally accepted. The contribution discusses the technical side of barcode-structures and focuses on the form of QR codes and on its semiotic aspects. It investigates how reci­pients understand the uses of QR codes and what kind of knowledge is needed to reco­gnize and to successfully use them. The general aim is to understand the potential and the limits of QR codes as a new type of sign in the public space.