Systems and methods for connecting to digital social groups using machine-readable code

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

opening a social-networking application, installed on a user's mobile device, that enables the user to scan machine-readable code using an image sensor of the mobile device, wherein the social-networking application is limited to only navigating to content hosted by a social-networking platform that manages the social-networking application;

receiving, from the social-networking application, an instruction to scan a machine-readable code associated with a digital social group organized via the social-networking platform; and

in response to receiving the instruction from the social-networking application:

using the image sensor to digitally scan the machine-readable code; and

using a system processor of the user's mobile device to:

decode at least one data item encoded in the machine-readable code, wherein the data item comprises a hash string to be sent to a server managed by the social-networking platform;

send, to the server, the hash string encoded in the machine-readable code; and

present, via a display element of the user's mobile device, a group page of the digital social group sent by the server in response to the server receiving the hash string.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein, prior to sending the group page to the user's mobile device, the server automatically joins an online account of the user to the digital social group.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises, prior to presenting the group page via the display element, presenting, via the display element of the user's mobile device, a prompt from the social-networking platform to create an online account with the social-networking platform.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the instruction to scan the machine-readable code comprises receiving the instruction in response to at least one of:

receiving, via an interface of the social-networking application, user input to scan the machine-readable code; or

determining that the image sensor has been positioned over the machine-readable code.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the machine-readable code comprises machine-readable code located on a physically printed medium.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 , wherein the physically printed medium comprises a poster.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein:

an organizer of the digital social group created the machine-readable code using a code creation tool provided by the social-networking platform; and

the code creation tool is accessed via an administrator webpage used to create and/or manage the digital social group.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7 , wherein the machine-readable code comprises a customized image selected by the organizer.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the machine-readable code comprises a two-dimensional matrix code.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 , wherein the machine-readable code comprises a Quick Response (QR) code.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the hash string comprises a request to access the group page of the digital social group.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11 , wherein the hash string further comprises source information describing a source from which the machine-readable code was scanned.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12 , wherein the server creates a report of sources from which the machine-readable code has been scanned based at least in part on the source information received in the hash string from the user's mobile device.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 11 , wherein the hash string further comprises at least one restriction to joining the digital social group.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14 , wherein:

the restriction comprises a user demographic restriction; and

the server determines that an online account of the user is eligible to join the digital social group based on a determination that a user demographic of the user satisfies the restriction.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15 , wherein the user demographic comprises at least one of:

an age of the user;

a gender of the user; or

a geographic location of the user.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 14 , wherein:

the restriction comprises a time restriction; and

the server determines that an online account of the user is eligible to join the digital social group based on a determination that a time at which the user's mobile device sent the hash string satisfies the time restriction.

18. A system comprising:

a presenting module, stored in memory of a user's mobile device, configured to open a social-networking application, installed on the user's mobile device, that enables the user to scan machine-readable code using an image sensor of the user's mobile device, wherein the social-networking application is limited to only navigating to content hosted by a social-networking platform that manages the social-networking application;

a scanning module, stored in memory of the user's mobile device, configured to:

receive, from the social-networking application, an instruction to scan a machine-readable code associated with a digital social group organized via the social-networking platform; and

in response to receiving the instruction from the social-networking application, use the image sensor to digitally scan the machine-readable code;

a decoding module, stored in the memory of the user's mobile device, configured to decode at least one data item encoded in the machine-readable code, wherein the data item comprises a hash string to be sent to a server managed by the social-networking platform;

a sending module, stored in the memory of the user's mobile device, configured to send, to the server, the hash string encoded in the machine-readable code;

wherein the presenting module is further configured to present, via a display element of the user's mobile device, a group page of the digital social group sent by the server in response to the server receiving the hash string; and

at least one physical processor configured to execute the scanning module, the decoding module, the sending module, and the presenting module.

19. The system of claim 18 , wherein the machine-readable code comprises a Quick Response (QR) code.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising:

one or more computer-readable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a user's mobile device, cause the user's mobile device to:

open a social-networking application, installed on a user's mobile device, that enables the user to scan machine-readable code using an image sensor of the mobile device, wherein the social-networking application is limited to only navigating to content hosted by a social-networking platform that manages the social-networking application;

receive, from the social-networking application, an instruction to scan a machine-readable code associated with a digital social group organized via the social-networking platform; and

in response to receiving the instruction from the social-networking application:

use the image sensor to digitally scan the machine-readable code;

decode at least one data item encoded in the machine-readable code, wherein the data item comprises a hash string to be sent to a server managed by the social-networking platform;

send, to the server, the hash string encoded in the machine-readable code; and

present, via a display element of the user's mobile device, a group page of the digital social group sent by the server in response to the server receiving the hash string.