OXFAM shops are helping to usher in a “Facebook of Things” that in future could allow every item people own to have an online profile revealing its history.
Second-hand goods at 20 of the charity stores will be tagged with “barcodes” that can be read with a smart phone camera using an app.
The codes link to website videos of previous owners talking about their former possessions and what they meant to them.
New owners can add themselves to an article’s history by scanning the barcode and making their own message recordings, which are placed on the website.
Oxfam’s collaboration is part of an experimental project called “Tales of Things” led by scientists at University College London.
