Could you imagine knowing exactly where some of your belongings came from? That table you found by the skip on your road, or a book you got at a book swap. Itizen is a new service that tells the stories of your items through tracking them and sharing your stories online.
People can upload items and attach a tag to it, which can be either stuck on or sewn on. Then they register their code and share the journey.
The interesting part of this service is as people upcycle or repurpose items not only are you tracing the journey of the product, you can find our what materials were used from the start and how this may change over the journey. Also, adding stories and a history to things adds value and could encourage more people to buy fewer new things and stick with old, already loved items.
Right now the service is in beta and people track their items for novelty value, and facilitating swapping, selling and sharing unique goods between artists, crafters and retailers. As Itizen grows as a service it could also be a powerful resource in learning where our gifts and products come from. Knowing where items- and all of the materials that comprise a product come from- would be a fascinating exercise and really show what dependancies people have on specific materials.
We have too much stuff. Creating a registry for it may just help kick start more all-consuming, stick with what you got journeys.
(Spotted on Springwise)
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