Are We Living for the Moment or the Photo?

Summary

The author reflects on the sheer volume of photos taken daily, noting the purchase of a third 2TB hard drive and over 44,000 images in their Google Photos account. This abundance is attributed to the ease of digital capture and the influence of social media, contrasting with the more deliberate process of film photography. The piece questions whether this constant documentation detracts from experiencing moments, citing trends like phone-free nightclub policies as a counter-movement.

Key points

• Digital photography and social media encourage taking an excessive number of photos.
• The ease of digital capture contrasts with the more precious nature of film photography.
• There's a growing concern that documenting moments may detract from living them.
• Some venues are implementing phone-free policies to encourage undocumented experiences.