Originally, photographs were invented to save favorite moments or to retain a better recollection of an event years down the road. Today, we humans take almost a trillion photos a year. (That’s more photos every few minutes than in the entire 19th century!) We are living in the most thoroughly documented time in history. We take pictures and videos of everything we do. But do pictures actually help us remember our life experiences?
Earlier this year while I was performing in the TONY Awards at Radio City Music Hall, I decided to leave my camera at home so I could be present and enjoy the experience with my own eyes. (I figured I would let the professionals document everything for me.) As it turned out, I was the minority. Almost all of the other performers around me took photos and videos with their smartphones to share them on various social media channels. I remember looking around the room realizing that very few people were present or actually experiencing the event. Being one of a only few people without my smartphone, I actually felt like the outsider! It seemed to me that people were relying on photos to remember the experience for them.