When places reopened after the first wave of the pandemic they tried to brute force it into existence. It's faded a bit since then but I still come across it now and then. So not quite (*latest fad), but fad enough.

There are also museums that replaced the about-this-painting placards with QR codes.

[–] SexUnderSocialism@hexbear.net 30 points 2 years ago (3 children)

There are also museums that replaced the about-this-painting placards with QR codes.

jesse-wtf Why? I don't get it. That sounds like such a terrible experience, constantly having to scan a code just to read a fucking description.

[–] plinky@hexbear.net 24 points 2 years ago (1 children)

It do be annoying, fiddling with your phone at every interesting painting, and descriptions are sometimes shorter than before. (Although audio options are pretty poggers when they go in-depth, but its rare)

[–] axont@hexbear.net 10 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Those little audio doohickeys that some museums have are my favorite objects in the world. Museums used to have them on cassette and sometimes they'd let me copy them. As a kid I used to have a cassette for San Antonio's science museum and I'd listen to the dinosaur parts repeatedly.

[–] plinky@hexbear.net 4 points 2 years ago

Yeah, the annoying part with audioguides they are incomprehensible alphanumeric gibberish on a server (sometimes), not structured folder type deal, so you cant backtrack to them from home :(

[–] Wertheimer@hexbear.net 17 points 2 years ago

They claim it's also to replace the headsets for audio explanations, etc., but either way it's bullshit. https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/newsletter/2022-01-22/essential-arts-qr-codes-in-museums-blessing-and-curse-essential-arts

[–] Sinistar@hexbear.net 8 points 2 years ago

soviet-hmm Why not have a written description, and then a QR code next to it that leads to more in-depth information?

only-throw No text! Only QR code!

[–] driving_crooner@lemmy.eco.br 26 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

So much that the city of Rio de Janeiro had to pass a law mandating bars an restaurants to have physical menus for clients that ask for them.

[–] Aryuproudomenowdaddy@hexbear.net 18 points 2 years ago

I've only encountered it a couple times but yeah, I think it got more popular when Covid started.

[–] ClimateChangeAnxiety@hexbear.net 4 points 2 years ago (1 children)

It started when places reopened after the first covid wave, because I guess paper menus spread covid? It never made sense

[–] Dolores@hexbear.net 7 points 2 years ago

paper menus spread covid?

because they saved 500$ at the printers think-about-it all covid did was make it necessary to disinfect them ...which they already should've been doing...