Remember those Driver’s Ed videos? Supposed to teach us to drive safe, but really they were just low-budget horror films with cars. Did it work? Nope. We walked out of class, grabbed our keys, and tested the laws of physics on the way home. Driver’s Ed: scaring us straight since never.

Scare tactics have never worked on teens. They may find the movies interesting (as we did) or the "scary" stories about online interesting...but it never seems to be an effective way to get kids to stop what they are doing. However, giving them tools they can rely on in the moment is proven to be incredibly effective.

And therein lies the quiet, pensive truth. That childhood ritual of marking your presence with a signature, while imperfect and sometimes rebellious, was a form of human connection. It was a tactile, shared experience—one that fostered a sense of belonging. You could see it, touch it, and know that it was real. When you wrote “Kristi was here” on a bathroom stall, you hoped someone might see it someday, smile, or even respond. When you carved your initials into a tree, it meant you had left a part of yourself behind, forever, in a place you loved.

Today’s digital signatures lack that physical intimacy. They are often disconnected from the tangible interactions that make us human. The post, comment, or emoji is quick, transient, and often stripped of the messy, beautiful imperfections of real life. It’s hard to feel the weight of a moment when your marker is a tap on a screen. The sense of permanence is blurred by the endless scroll, the temporary nature of a trending meme, or the viral wave of an impulsive comment.