The point of both is mostly the same: to execute some kind of contract.Īn inconsistent signature can open the door for fraud, according to attorney Nicholas W. Before the written signature, the Romans had signet rings to seal documents. They evolved so humans could bind themselves to agreements. Their most important power, of course, is legal. Signatures carry more than just emotional freight. Touchscreen computers and Square machines have turned signatures into a thing you must jab and press into existence-a thing that never looks quite right. More recently, mice and styluses have disappeared in favor of fingers. Signing contracts increasingly happens electronically, where you either “draw” your signature with a mouse or just type in your name. Over the past decade, businesses have updated their points of sale with touch pads and styluses. Think about how you most often sign your name, if you do at all: It’s not with a pen. Developed in response to the ancient technology of paper and ink, it’s lately been confronted with the primacy of keyboards and screens. Perhaps the most literal example is our handwritten signature, a core talisman of identity. In some cases, technology can transform the very things that define us. It trains us to behave in certain ways, to modify how we speak or move to better accommodate its utility. Technology changes us as much as we change technology.
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