The Internet has already captured a majority of the wealth of human knowledge. Big ideas (both emerging and established) can be accessed and processed via an increasingly wide array of electronic devices. Still, this huge ocean of data is often only visible from the portals of our desktop or laptop screens. We are approaching a unique watershed moment where we will soon breach the Fourth Wall separating us from this information.

Imagine walking into a bookstore to find a title that focuses on a particular area of professional interest. You’re browsing through the “Software” section of the store because you’re interested in learning more about software development. You pick out a book that looks interesting and you snap a picture of it with your cell phone camera. Your phone will display a synopsis of the book, an average reader-rating score with further access to user reviews, and recommendations for further reading. You decide from this information that the book you’re holding in your hand is not the one you’re looking for, but given the recommendations you’ve just received, the book on the shelf above it will give you what you want.

This type of instant access to Internet intelligence is already possible and will one day be de rigueur.

Here is one of the necessary ingredients:

A two-dimensional barcode (also known as a QR Code) can store over two megabytes of data, more than enough storage capacity to hold things like book synopses and other detailed product information. A mobile phone user simply snaps a picture of the QR Code and the phone will extract the data (provided the phone has QR Code-reading software installed on it). The barcode can also transfer a URL to the phone, thus providing a bridge between the Internet and the physical world.

These QR Codes can be placed anywhere: billboards, magazine ads, TV ads, websites, etc. Accordingly, this technology will have a huge impact on marketing. My colleague Amy Griswold recently blogged about the dearth of website links displayed during Super Bowl ads. Part of the problem with displaying a URL during a TV spot is that unless the viewer is actively typing the link into a web-browser (granted, TiVo would make this easier), this information is effectively lost on them. However, snapping a picture of an on-screen QR Code is immediate and has the added benefit of storing the link into the cell phone for future retrieval.

This technology is poised to have a profound impact on the way we acquire information from the world around us. The combined data of a “QR-encoded” physical entity and the personalized information that can be stored on a cell phone provides vast potential for directed marketing opportunities. Major US mobile service providers are already advancing their own QR Code initiatives and we’ll soon start noticing more of these codes around us, providing avenues to a further digitally enhanced life.