What does the flashing ghost icon mean?

What does the flashing ghost symbol in the top right of the UI indicate?

Playing through Destiny 2, this icon sometimes appears on the screen. It does not seem to be a checkpoint or save notification, rather it seems to persist around a certain area (i.e. I can move away from a point and it goes away, and if I return, it starts flashing again). I suspect it is tied to objects that can be scanned or interacted with, but I am uncertain of their significance or usefulness.

While I certainly like the lore that is revealed in interacting with these things, I'm wondering if there is any other game mechanism tied into finding these things. Or to put simply, should I make sure I find them when I see the icon?

The flashing ghost icon just means that there is a scannable object nearby, justifying the fact that walking away from an area makes the scannable object farther away and unscannable. The "Scannable objects" are ghosts that, using your ghost, you can interact with to see further insight into the lore of the game. No other benefit is received for finding these objects. Check here for more information.