Technology is changing the way we memorialize loved ones, making the process of sharing memories easier and more accessible to anyone around the world. Online tribute pages and obituaries are now the standard, and people frequently use social media to share memories and photos of the dearly departed.
QR Codes have emerged as a unique way to combine modern digital practices with ancient traditions. More and more people are choosing to include QR Codes on tombstones, memorial plaques, urns, or other grave markers. The QR Code can act as a link to a digital memorial web page, uniting physical symbols of grief and digital mourning spaces.
Below, we’ll explore how this practice came to be, its advantages, and how people are using this creative memorial technique in practice.
Why consider using QR Codes in the memorialization of loved ones?
QR Codes are highly flexible, allowing the deceased’s loved ones to memorialize them however they wish. Whether they prefer to keep their grief private or share stories about their loved ones with anyone who cares to listen, QR Codes can help.
Privacy with controlled sharing
QR Codes’ flexible nature allows precise control over how people can access digital information. Instead of including sensitive personal details about a person on the headstone, you can link to a private website that only known loved ones can access.
Or, the linked web page can have both public and private information, with some public stories and also a private area for close friends and family members.
Global accessibility
Using a QR Code to link to a memorial website means mourners can connect from anywhere in the world. They can scan QR Codes off of photos, share them with others online, or place them in other spots in addition to the headstone—like a memorial bench or next to a photo of their loved one.
Dynamic and updatable content
You can modify some QR Codes after creating them—these are called Dynamic QR Codes.
Being capable of changing where a QR Code links is a big advantage for a permanent fixture. If something happens with a particular link (for example, if a hosting site shuts down) you can change the QR Code to link to a new site.
Friends and family can update the online memorials themselves over time, too. They can add photos, leave comments with treasured memories, and respond to each other. Every time they visit the gravesite, they can see new content that helps their dearly departed live on.
It’s easy to make a QR Code using Bitly, which includes all the features you need to have full control over the QR Code links. Bitly also collects data on how many people access the QR Code and where they are in the world. The family members of the deceased can take joy in seeing who’s connecting with their loved one’s life story.
Advantages of QR Codes on headstones at gravesites
QR Codes have become a convenient and flexible way to share information, which is why they’re the perfect solution for combining the digital world with physical memorial sites.
Durability and longevity
You can print or carve QR Codes onto any kind of material. That means you can create QR Codes for headstones with durable materials like stone or steel, which will ensure a memorial that will endure as long as a granite headstone.
Ease of access and use
Modern technology has streamlined QR Code use, often building scanners right into the camera app on mobile devices. Everyone with a smartphone can scan a QR Code quickly and easily, opening up the linked page within seconds.
Legacy preservation
There’s a reason why people wonder what epitaph should be carved on their gravestones even when they’re still alive. It’s a daunting task to sum up a life in just a few lines.
Gravesites can only share so much about a person’s life. QR Codes linking to a memorial site provide an opportunity to humanize the deceased. Sharing photos, stories, and histories creates a digital legacy that keeps a loved one’s memory alive.
Personalization
Tombstones have long been a place to show off the personality of the deceased. People have put everything from signature recipes to images of motorcycles on their stones to highlight unique aspects of their lives. QR Codes are an opportunity to expand on that tradition by linking to more information about that person’s life story.
It’s easy to create a free Dynamic QR Code—and they’re customizable. You can create them in different colors, include images, and use unique frames. This can better catch the eye of gravesite visitors as well as capture the individuality of the deceased.
Bitly’s QR Code generator software makes it easy to customize every aspect of a code.
Space efficiency
Since QR Codes can be any size, they can fit on a gravestone or memorial plaque of any size. They are a great way to expand the space available to share about a person’s life, even if the chosen gravestone is small.
Ethical considerations: How businesses can approach concerns responsibly
When introducing a new technology like QR Codes into a somber tradition like burial, it’s important to do so tactfully and responsibly. Keep the focus on the mourners, their desires, and how best to help them memorialize their loved ones.
Obtaining explicit consent
Some people prefer to stick to tradition, and QR Codes on gravestones are still a relatively new idea. Gravestone designs and grieving rituals are extremely personal, so it’s necessary to get explicit consent before putting a QR Code on any grave or memorial.
Respecting privacy
It’s important to be clear with the loved ones of the deceased what will happen to the information linked to the QR Code, and who will be able to access it, so they can make informed choices about what they put on the memorial site.
Considering restricted access
Let loved ones know about options for restricting access to the site the QR Code links to in order to ensure they have total control over the information.
Maintaining links
A gravestone is forever, and it’s an important signifier of a person’s legacy. That means the QR Code—and the linked site—is forever, too.
Therefore, maintaining those links so the QR Code continues to work is an important responsibility. Even if you move on from this business, you should maintain the links or pass the responsibility on to another qualified business.
Educating customers on using QR Codes
Not everyone you work with will understand how to use QR Codes. If you offer it as an option for gravesites, you will need to ensure that all parties can use the QR Code easily and without stress during an already difficult time.
Examples of how to use QR Codes on gravestones
Thanks to the flexibility of QR Codes, your options for preserving the legacy of a loved one are endless. Most people use gravestone QR Codes to link to the life story of the person buried there, but the family can do whatever they like.
Digital obituaries
Digital obituaries are now standard. Websites such as Ever Loved go beyond traditional newspaper obituaries, allowing space for cherished photos, more details about the deceased person’s life, videos, comments from loved ones, and more.
A gravestone QR Code can link to a digital obituary to give more context to someone’s life and allow visitors to share thoughts and memories.
Video or audio tributes
Video and audio tributes showing photos and memories of the deceased are now common as part of end-of-life celebrations. You can now include these beautiful tributes in a memorial site by using a QR Code to link directly to where you can view or listen to the tribute.
Virtual guestbooks
Virtual guestbooks are spaces where people around the world can share their thoughts and memories of a loved one. Similar to a digital obituary, guestbooks can also share photos, videos, and other information about the life of the deceased.
Genealogical information
Many families track their ancestry information, and it’s now common to maintain shareable online family trees to help preserve a family’s history, such as those at Ancestry.com.
You can use a gravestone QR Code to link to a family tree to share more information about a deceased person’s family. If the family keeps the genealogical information updated over time, future generations will be able to view the descendants of the person at their gravesite.
Discover Bitly’s QR Code solutions for gravestones
For those who find comfort in bringing together traditional memorials with modern practices, or who want to find unique ways of capturing the individuality of a loved one, QR Codes on gravestones are the perfect solution.
Gravestone and memorial site QR Codes can be a unique offering for your business, and Bitly QR Codes are the best way to create a QR Code that offers the customization, control, and simplicity needed to preserve a legacy over time.
It can feel like memories are easily lost in a digital age full of information, but a gravestone QR Code is a way to save those memories for eternity.
Learn more about how Bitly can help your business offer a service that uniquely preserves the legacy of those dearly departed.