Part 1
This article was very interesting because this is something everyone experiences in this day and age. So much of our life is documented, and in my opinion, most times, it’s not for the purpose of looking back on it later. There have been so many times I want to take a picture of how blue the water is, what my coffee looked like, or my outfit when I’m on vacation. Most times I want to take this pictures so I can post it to Instagram later. I know how ridiculous that sounds, but that’s how our world is now. My family loves concerts, and we’ve traveled across the east coast, and even to California to see some of our favorite musicians. While I’m at the concert, I am always videoing the entire thing, zooming in and adjusting the lighting so the video looks the best as possible. I’m already thinking about which videos to post, while I should just be living in the moment. On the other hand, I do want at least a couple videos and pictures for personal memories to look back on. Instead of putting our cameras down entirely, I think we should find a good balance. The last concert I went to was a Harry Styles concert, and when the concert began I immediately, had my phone up. Then, I paused for a second and thought to myself, when am I ever going to be at another Harry Styles concert on Halloween in Los Angeles?
@Stella Part 2
I decided to only film my favorite songs, so I could have them for myself. I didn’t post about it, and it felt so refreshing to be able to truly live in the moment and enjoy the concert. I’m so happy I made that decision because it ended with me having even more memories, and truly enjoying it.
I think that what Julia Cho decided to do, had its pros and cons. I too agree that sometimes you feel so good about a speech, performance, etc., and when you watch the video back, you feel so different. You notice all the little mistakes you made, the way you played the wrong chord once or twice, how you started a bit late, or how you stuttered on that last line. Sometimes, I feel so confident about the way I look, and then I see a picture of myself, and all of that is destroyed. Sometimes when I’m at a concert, I feel like I’m so close, and that they are singing directly to me the entire time. When I watch the videos back after and I realize that I wasn’t as close as I thought, and that they weren’t singing just for me. I think it was best for Julia Cho to refrain from showing her daughter the video at first. Her daughter was happy and proud of herself, and her mother didn’t want to take that away from her. Even though she read those psychological studies about it saying what she did was right, I think she should still show her daughter the next time she asks.
@Stella
Part 3
I loved the part where she stated, “my memories are mine.” Maybe she wants to see how she could do better next time, or maybe she ends up seeing it and feeling even better about it than she did before. I think this question isn’t black and white, there isn’t a yes or no answer. But, I do think we all need to work on finding a balance between our digital, and real, lives.
I´m not too fond of pictures or videos unless it's with someone I care about or with.
I personally don't use camera to record the moments I spent myself that's because I believe that it changes the perspective you have towards yourself ,it could be either negative or positive . Still, I do like to capture the cute things my pets do on the camera and I enjoy watching them.There are also moments where I think that it would be great to hold on to this memory forever .In conclusion I think everything has its disadvantages and advantages and everyone has their point of views.
@Dua Zavery I agree with this so much! I wish I recorded things less, and I have a hard time deciding what should be recorded, and what should be kept for me. Sometimes there are moments that I truly want to remember forever, and we shouldn't feel bad for wanting to capture those. Like you said, there are definitely advantages and disadvantages, and everyone has their own takes on this debate.
I think that digital memories aren’t necessarily ruining our real memories, but they change them. I feel like if I look at the pictures and videos of something, then my memory of it gets better of the experience and it takes me back. But there are some moments in life where a picture or video can’t capture the moment and how you’re feeling at that moment.
I believe that digital memories actually improve real memories. When I was in kindergarten, I liked to mimic the characteristic of different animals, but I can hardly remember how I did that now. Luckily, my mom recorded them. Every time I watch the recordings, I could feel the development of myself. People are forgetting, we easily forget what we’ve been through. One example of myself is snowboarding. When I spend a week learning how to snowboarding, I felt I am naturally good at it since I was able to get to the bottom of the slope easily. However, when my dad showed me the video when I first tried snowboarding, I found that I struggled a lot, I couldn’t even stand up with the board on. Julia Cho wrote that her daughter’s facial expression changed as she saw the video because the video ruined her real one. I personally disagree with that.It’s a brand new experience for us to see the video, the shocking expression is not showing the experience is bad, oppositely, it’s showing that there’s a big contrast between our own perspective and others. Sometimes I feel I did well but actually awkward; Sometimes I think I did an bad job but it is actually good. Those contrasts made my memory wholesome, meaningful, and permanent. If children would really be effected by the videos, is that mean they will be easily influenced by others comment? If they get to watch the video themselves, they will not be as easily influenced, thus it is not ruining our real ones.
While I do not think that digital memories are ruining our real-life memories, I believe that they are hindering our ability to tell stories. Being able to just film something and show it to a friend does not allow us to exercise our ability to tell a persuasive, descriptive story. That is the real harm behind the digital age.
I do not think digital memories are necessarily ruining our real-life memories. I do think that instead of living in the moment, we are so worried about snap chatting or recording something happening to post on social media. I think the best memories are the ones that you’re phone wasn’t present for. I think it’s really beneficial being able to have the technology to capture an enjoyable moment to look back on to remind us of our emotions at that certain moment in time. We can’t get those exact feelings back watching videos or looking at pictures, so I think digital memories symbolize good or bad feelings we previously experienced.
For example Last year I rode the Hulk at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. It was an adrenaline rush, and after I gained so much confidence and I was so proud of myself for riding that ride. Well, you can’t take your phones on a ride like that, so my mom took a picture of me beside the sign for the ride. Every time I look back at that picture I am reminded of the brave and alive feeling of conquering my fear of roller coasters.
Furthermore, I think it’s nice being able to take out your phone to take pictures or videos of things to bring back certain memories we may have forgotten about. Digital memories are still uniquely mine just as real-life memories are.
I have poor memory and I know i'm not the only one. I can’t even tell you what I did last week. When i'm doing something with someone, making memories, I want to be able to document that memory and look back at it to remember how I felt in that moment. All the laughs and smiles, the adrenaline, the love, and sometimes the sadness. Sure, not everything has to be documented, sometimes you do have to live in the moment, but it's good to have some aspect of it with you to always remember once you have long forgotten the simpler times. Sometimes the memories get hazy with photos but it's the experience and feelings you get when look back at those memories, whichever way you choose to remember it. I believe that Ms. Cho made the decision she thought best for them and if her daughter one days wants to see it, she should show her so they can relive the moment together.
I have caught myself several times putting the phone down and not taking that one video or picture because I’m have such a good time but once everything dies down a little, it’s good to have a picture or two to look back and remember all the moments before and after that photo.
Photos can help preserve those memories you have someone not in your life anymore. Some of my favorite memories are with my grandma and with her not being here anymore, I’m able to look back and smile at the pictures that I have with her. Like always, there are pros and cons to this situation.
Pictures and videos of our happiest, bravest, and funniest moments don't ruin them, but reinforce them as our memories fade over time. My parents tell me stories of when my siblings and I were younger, but watching videos really helps to paint the picture. Personally, I’d rather remember an experience years later, even if it requires the help of technology.
Unlike the author, I believe that “changing the original memory” is worth keeping our memories. In fact, seeing certain moments from different points of view makes them more realistic; we aren’t blinded by only our thoughts and feelings. When Cho shields her daughter from the video, she deprives her of learning from the experience. My volleyball coaches tape parts of practice or games so the team can review our technique. This way, we can focus on what we need to work towards next game. Pictures and videos don’t ruin our experiences, but can help us to remember them and better understand them. When my siblings and I are older, I’ll enjoy looking through old pictures and videos. Their permanence will allow me to reminisce on some of the greatest moments of my life in great detail.
I don't think digital memories are ruining our real ones. I think they capture the moment and allow us to look back on them later. My mom has a ton of these old photo albums. Some are of me as a baby, my old dog and house and family members that are now passed that I absolutely no memory of. Some photos are of my parents. Their wedding photos and them with friends in college. It's crazy to me to see their lives before they became parents. But I wish they had taken more photos of life back then. My childhood is a blur to me now. I remember some specific memories but those photos are the closest thing I have from the past. I can see why people choose to avoid electronics and savior the moment but for me a picture or video that I can look back on helps me remember the moment better and in a way relive it.
Being an athlete or a singer you and your parents probably take a lot of videos of your perfect basket or your amazing solo, and of course we want to rewatch it because of how amazing the moment was.My family definitely records all my games and all my performances weather its just practice or in front of a crowd ,and I always look back at it.Julia Cho writes,"i've seen the way my daughters facial expressions changes, her eyes slightly squinted,and her neck pulls her head back, just a little when she watches a video of herself." Although I know when I rewatch of video of something I was doing I don't feel the same I don't get the same viewpoint, I now see and and look at he bad things. Being me I love to take pictures and videos to capture everything and I realize when I show other people my facial expressions and my tone is so different from theirs because its not the same experience. I know a lot of people like to rewatch videos so its almost like you're back there.I know when i have children everything will definitely be recorded but not a smartphone it will be recorded on a real video recorder.
Digital memories do not ruin our real memories. In fact I think they help us remember the good times more often. I love to look through my memories on my phone and remember what I’ve done over the few years I have my phone. I love to capture good times and savor the good memories. I feel like digital memories have me to remember the real ones and make me feel like I’m there again.
I wouldn't say I have a favorite moment, but I have a favorite moment either from a week or a month. So this memory was sometime around Christmas, and a camera was there to record it. I was the one who recorded it. Now I usually don't look back on the memories unless I'm with friends or I want to remember how I felt. Just like Julia Cho when she says, "... just that it might be different on video than the way she experienced it, the way we all feel when we hear ourselves on a recording and say "Wait- that's what I sound like?" See it's weird to look back on the videos because sometimes it's like I don't remember what happened. Like I was showing some friends the videos from that time and they all go, "That really happened? I really did that?" I had to tell them that's what I got on video so you did it then, we would start talking about that day. Soon they would come to the realization they did act like that but would move past it since we all had fun that day. Not that the whole time they acted like lunatics, they just acted in a way different from how they usually act.
Digital memories may not be ruining our actual memories but they change the idea surrounding them, and changes our perspective of the event. Recordings and pictures of ourselves during important event seem even more important than the actual event, and when combined with social media, makes the basis of these moments to take the perfect picture to show others and yourself that you are having fun. I agree with Ms Cho and her choice to not have her daughter look at the recording, and if I was her daughter, I would be happy with that choice. I agree that this new digital age can subtract from the actual moment, and people want to live more in photos then in life. I have never thought of this situation before, but now that I have, I am most certainly going to put my phone away next important event to preserve the actual emotion and feelings of the memory. I have an average memory, and I believe memories make up part of who someone is, and they're very important to keep safe
As someone who is involved in a high school A cappella group, choir, select choir, church choir and does regular performing outside of school I have become very use to seeing myself on video. Though I believe it's nice to have photos and videos to remember what has happened to us in our life time I can relate to having an experience tainted with another's perspective. Suddenly what seemed like a great performance now feels mediocre. And what had me beaming a moment ago, now had me frowning and listing off ways I could've been better.
In all honesty, I’d say that I have quite a bad memory. In fact, it is so bad, that I remember absolutely nothing before the morning of my fifth birthday. It is all black -- not even an inkling of any event whatsoever. So, when my parents talk about something which I did as a young child, I usually just nod quietly or say something along the lines of, “It was exactly just as you said, wasn’t it?”
My first and most favorite memory was the first piece of inner dialogue which I remember. It was the morning of my fifth birthday and in a sense, the opening of “my mind’s eye”. The second I woke up, I had perceived that something was different. I could think and coordinate myself better than I ever had before. The first thing I said to myself was, “Hey, I finally got some sense knocked into me.” It’s kind of odd to think that this was the first thing I ever said to myself, but even if it is, it was a proud moment for me.
To think that I was five years old when I truly gained consciousness while studies have shown that children obtain this as early as six months into life is laughable to me. My sister tells me the memories which she had as an infant which she recalls with great clarity, all verified by our parents of course. Truly, I lost four and a half years of my most developmental years on the account of my bad memory -- that, in my opinion, is naturally terrible recollection.
Personally, I do think that digital memories are ruining our real-life memories. In recent years my life has become a lot more technology based, as we use laptops for six hours in school and then I come home and continue to do work on it and use my phone until I fall asleep. Being constantly surrounded by technology has caused me to heavily rely on it to serve as part of my memory. If I want to remember something I have to set a reminder on my phone, or I will forget about it.
In addition, I feel as if every time I go somewhere no one is actually present in the moment, they are always living the moment through their phone. For example, I recently just got back from Disney World and all over the parks I would see people on their phones taking pictures and videos instead of enjoying the moment with their kids. I feel as if we were all just to put down our phones for a little bit and actually experience life, our memories would be much more vivid than what we see as our memories on a camera role.
@Colby Thomson
I disagree with you on how if digital memories are ruining our real memories. Creating these memories with our phones makes us to be able to go back and look and actually recapture the moment in our head. We can’t store all of our memories in our head so why not just take a quick picture and just go back to it in the future. Yes technology is all around us but now you see more people taking advantage of technology, even for capturing memories too. They really aren’t ruining them they are actually letting us go back to them.
I do not think digital memories are necessarily ruining our real-life memories. I do think that instead of living in the moment, we are so worried about snap chatting or recording something happening to post on social media. I think the best memories are the ones that you’re phone wasn’t present for. I think it’s really beneficial being able to have the technology to capture an enjoyable moment to look back on to remind us of our emotions at that certain moment in time. We can’t get those exact feelings back watching videos or looking at pictures, so I think digital memories symbolize good or bad feelings we previously experienced.
For example Last year I rode the Hulk at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. It was an adrenaline rush, and after I gained so much confidence and I was so proud of myself for riding that ride. Well, you can’t take your phones on a ride like that, so my mom took a picture of me beside the sign for the ride. Every time I look back at that picture I am reminded of the brave and alive feeling of conquering my fear of rollercoasters.
Furthermore, I think it’s nice being able to take out your phone to take pictures or videos of things to bring back certain memories we may have forgotten about. Digital memories are still uniquely mine just as real-life memories are.
Digital memories just help me recall memories that I could’ve forgotten. Very often I’ll go through my dad’s camera roll and I find myself going, “Ohhhhh yeah, I remember this.” Very rarely I see a picture and not know what was happening or not know where I was. I also really like the idea of daily family vlogs that you can ultimately upload to Youtube or even just add then to a flash drive. With these videos of your daily life you can go back to any day of the year and see exactly what you and your family were doing on any specific day. It can be expensive and maybe a little hard carrying a camera around all day and editing the videos, but to me it would be worth it. To me it would be so cool to see my kids grow up again when they are all grown up and don’t live at the house anymore.
For me there is nothing better than remembering fun times I have had. Whether it is a concert, a sporting event, or even just hanging out with some friends. Being able to go back and experience the moments again is super cool to me. Now does filming the moment take away from the memory? I don't think it does. I have had some great memories the I remember and I'm upset that I don't have any video of them. The videos help you relive the moment and it almost puts you back in the memory. I re-watch memories all the time when I miss something. It doesn't take away from the fun and the memory is still as good.
sometimes when im bored ill go through my camera roll and look back at all the stuff that ive done. I dont think that digital memories are ruining my real ones if anything its helping remember them. My memory of things isn't always the best but when im looking back at old photos im instantly reminded of what took place that day, and how I was feeling in the moment the picture was taken. So I strongly believe that digital memories are great ways to look back at the past.
Watching videos of myself or hearing my voice on film makes me cringe, I hate it. My voice sounds so different than what I think it sounds like and watching myself do something from someone else's perspective does change my real experience. It makes me only think about what other people were thinking of me and making me forget about how I really felt doing it and can make me feel kind of insecure.
Sometimes i'll watch a video of myself playing beach volleyball that my parents took or something and I only start thinking about what I looked like and how well I was doing and most of the time it doesn't look as great as it feels. I forget the competitive and fun feeling I had or how high I felt like I as jumping or gracefully I was moving and I just start analyzing myself instead of remembering how I really felt in that moment of time. So yes I do agree with article but only the part about watching yourself, I think we should start living in the experience right then instead of after it already happened. However I love having some videos and pictures here and there of other people and experiences I had with them or something funny that happened of people who are important to me. This is because it can trigger a memory and make me happy and remember that feeling I had but I do not like watching myself from another perspective and some people do need to live more in the moment. .
@Tamsie Black i don't agree
I never watch videos of myself doing something I'm passionate about because I could feel like I just finished the greatest performance of my life, and then I'll watch the video afterwards and the magic will be gone. I'll only be able to critique myself.
But when it comes to concerts or other performances, I always find myself recording the entire thing. My friends tell me to stop and live in the moment, but I still feel like I am. I record these moments to have the safety of re-watching them later and reliving it, even though that never works out. The magic of being in that moment is gone.
I agree with this article in the sense of watching yourself and suddenly having a whole new idea of what the experience was like. But when it comes to recording others for the sake of your own enjoyment, it's still possible to have at least a fraction of the experience you had living it. I become sad after concerts because i know I'll never have an experience like that ever again, but I know I'll always have the option to watch those videos and feel close to what it was actually like.
The author in this article is scared of her daughter being very hard on herself by watching the video, but the author's mother will always have a recording of her granddaughter putting on an amazing performance.
I feel like to a certain extent, digital memories do ruin you memory. Sure, having a photo every now and then to look back at throughout the years to show where you went is cool, but not 100 photos documenting the whole experience. They may end replacing your memories depending on how many pictures you take. The experiences I cherish the most are mine, not the cameras. Most people hate taking photos or videos anyway. They usually don’t like looking at themselves and it may ruin their memory if they look bad. I think most parents just want to remember their child when they were younger, but it really just hurts them in ways they may try and hide. A child’s youth should be filled with happy memories, not a camera. I feel like it takes away from the moment itself, and at least for me, makes me remember that the fun will eventually end.
Mrs. Cho had the exact reaction I would have had. Stop ruining the memories that child may cherish by constantly shoving a camera in her face. Thankfully she is more aware of how he kid reacts than her grandmother. The studies support that photos can replace the memories that a child had for themselves, which is really sad with the amount of cameras around these days. If you took a survey, I think it would be interesting yo find out who has happier memories of their childhood: Parents of the children.
Ms. Cho's story almost immediately brought back a situation where I had this exact thing happen to me (bar the singing part of course).
You see, for my middle school soccer team, I played goalie. Up until this point I had only played for fun, never in a real game environment... but I digress.
It was a tied game, 10 minutes left. The opposing team is bounding down the wing and crosses in a beautiful floater towards their striker. He jumped up and wins the header -- about 12 yards away from the goal -- and directs the ball towards the top right corner.
Everything moved in slow motion, I move mechanically, in increments, first, I throw my arms back and dive to my left, swatting the ball over the crossbar with my outside hand. It was magic (or so I thought). To me I had jumped impossibly high and my hands had become impossibly long. I had just reached a ball that was impossible to reach.
After the game, I couldn't stop bragging about how amazing it was. My parents shared my enthusiasm and excitedly explained how they had captured the entire moment on video.
...I couldn't get to that phone screen fast enough...
I mean, sure, it was an OKAY save. But it really wasn't all that great. The ball, in the end, was pretty darn close to me. My parents continued to tell me how amazing it was even after watching the video... but I knew it wasn't what it should of been. That video, soured that moment for me.
Whats my point? Ms. Cho is right. Sometimes its better not to watch the video.
I think digital memories are very two-sided and it all depends if you are the one in front of or behind the lens. For me, I love being able to look back on older pictures and bring back memories, but, I also feel that when I am the one taking pictures or recording, it takes away from my experience.
We live in an age where so much is completely digital and to me it is scary that some of our memories are completely digital as well. For example, most of the time when one of my friends goes to a concert, I see the entire thing on their Snapchat or Instagram stories. It honestly gets to a point where I feel like I am at the concert myself and then that begs the question, why would I spend hundreds of dollars on a ticket when I am seeing the whole thing on someone's story?
I related to the article where it spoke about how sometimes a video can be very different from what you remembered for example a moment when you were singing and felt great and then heard a video and were like wait I sound like that? I personally sing at church quite frequently and I always decline watching a video of myself on stage because it kind of ruins the better memory I had and makes me question if I really did well or not?
Overall, everything is good in moderation and I believe that holds true in this situation. Pictures and videos are good for remembering moments that might fade otherwise but should not be used to rely on and take away from the experience itself.
I spent my childhood smiling in front of my dads camera. Family vacation to Hawaii, Christmas of 2008, rec soccer games, all are remembered on film. Even now as a sophomore in high school my dad comes to nearly every soccer game and stands by the side taking pictures. He even went as far to make a fake press pass so he could stand right next to the stadium field without getting yelled at by the ref. And no matter how annoyed I get about having to take the 200th photo in a row I love the fact that I can look back at my childhood.
I even enjoy the pictures of me in the hospital with broken arms or the ones where I just look so incredibly mad that I could just about kill you with my death stare. Now trust me I remember that I was so frustrated with my dad for taking those pictures at the time, but now I can't help but chuckle. Digital memories don't distort my real ones, they enhance them. I remember the events leading up to the picture more vividly and what we did after. I almost always get hit with a wave of nostalgia when looking at pictures. Memories that I thought were long gone end up returning. My memories are my own, the pictures just help me remember.
In today's society when something cool, or interesting happens most people's first reaction is to pull out their phone and take a photo or video. Personally, I am extremely guilty of this. After reading this I realize how much people do not live in the moment, including myself. I realized how many photos and videos I take, and how much my memories could be morphed and my perspective could has been different than my real experience. I recently went to a concert and am very glad I have all those videos I took, but I also wish I just had a few videos and just lived in the moment. I agree with Julia Cho, her opinion and view on life really inspired me and made me see life from a new perspective.
In the eighth grade, I bought tickets to go to a concert with a couple friends. The night of the concert, I was in my room, running back and forth from my closet to the mirror, frantically trying to figure out what to wear. That one small factor seemed to matter more to me than the music. I knew that all the girls would have their phones out, wanting to take videos and pictures and post them on social media, so I had to look my best. The whole night, I enjoyed the music, but focused the most on the placement of my hair and outfit, making sure everything looked the way that it was supposed to. Looking back on that night, I could have had the time of my life if I had just stopped worrying about how I would be perceived by viewers online.
When talking about her daughter, Cho wrote, "I’ve seen the way my daughter’s facial expression changes, her eyes squint slightly, and her neck pulls her head back just a little when she watches videos of herself." The phones don't only distract the recorder, but degrade the experiences of the people around them. It takes joy away from a memory when you look back on it, and all you can remember is a video someone took. My grandparents tell me stories from their earlier years, and I can see the joy in their eyes, as if they are still in that moment. They didn't have smartphones, they just lived. That important quality of life is slowly disappearing as generations pass, but we can't let that happen.
I do not think digital memories are ruining our real ones. Your brain is going to perceive a situation how it wants to, regardless of if you saw it in person or through a phone. Everyone has different perspectives on this situation. For me, personally I used to be on my phone 24/7 two years ago, my screen time was at 8-10 hours a day. Anytime anything happened when I was with my friends I would take a picture and/or video. When I look back on those times I’m grateful for having a video or picture but then I can’t remember anything but what is on my phone. I wouldn’t remember them because I’d pay more attention to my phone & focus on taking pictures and videos instead of living in the moment (as cheesy as that sounds). I have gotten my screen time down to 2-5 hours a day just solely on the fact that I am actually paying attention to my surroundings & to the people around me. For example, I used to go on my phone the entire time I would be in the car, but now I try to pay attention to where I am going because I can drive soon & will have to know how to get places.
I rarely take videos or photos of when I do something special. But when I do take pictures of an event, it is not many. I feel this helps me to still recall the setting and what happened in the moment, but the photos don't replace my memories since there are so few.
What Ms. Cho is exactly what I would have done. If I were the daughter and was on the stage, I probably would have cherished the moment, and would look back on the experience as a fond memory. But if I were to watch the video and see someone in the crowd not paying attention or sleeping, that would be detrimental to my confidence and my good memory, especially to a young child.
I feel that many parents take so many pictures because when they were young, photos were not able to be sent and taken so easily. That is why they take so many, and pictures that were taken of them as young kids helped them recall their childhood. This is probably what they are doing for us or just themselves.
I personally don't like being on electronics when I'm watching a performance or am with friends and family because I like to savor the feeling of being in their company.
It's so much better to relive the moment by remembering your emotions before, during, and after than by watching the videos. I'm a dancer and was in chorus in middle school and reading this reminded me of the different feelings I felt/feel for each one. I never saw any videos of me singing so I remember the feeling of exhilaration and nervousness (and sometimes if I didn't like the song, which was most of the time, annoyance) but with dance, I've seen multiple videos of me dancing, whether to watch after a performance or to finish learning a dance, and my feelings completely change after seeing those videos. That being said, I definitely understand how Ms. Cho felt when she said she didn't want to show her daughter the video.
Honestly though, how hard is it to PUT DOWN YOUR PHONE? Yeah I get it, the joys of social media; if you're somewhere special, you might as well show everyone how special you are for being there. But what I don’t understand is why you have to have your phone out the ENTIRE Phillip Phillips concert. It so much fun having your camera in front of your face, blocking out your personal experience and replacing it with one on screen. I know for sure, the group of girls standing in front of me Because they are’t there for the experiance. They are there for social media.
I believe there are three types of people, those who dwell on the past, those who live in the moment, and those who stress for the future. Because of this, those who live in the past or the future, are those who look to document every moment for later. Personally, I don't find an issue with either of the other livelihoods I just don’t find myself wanting to capture my life on my phone. However, it is true that enjoying a concert you are watching through the lens on your iPhone rather than your pupils is far more difficult.
In the article, Cho writes that she stopped her daughter from watching a video of her piano recital for risk of ruining the way her daughter had viewed it. This is an outlook that I have yet to hear on the debate and it brings up a good point. Have you ever noticed that the more you inspect a photo, the more details you pick up, good or bad? Now if you take that same phenomenon and say, rewatch a clip of you scoring in soccer. The more you watch it, the more negative aspects of the video you might pick up on. That is why it is sometimes better to let the memories stay memories.
@Henry Wojciechowski You make a good point when discussing the over analyzing of you pictures or photos. I 100% agree with the statement that we tend to see more negatives than positives when we take that second glance.
When I watch film from my tournaments I sometimes don't even focus on the quality of my play, I focus on how I look or I get distracted by a parent in the crowd. I critique myself beyond what actually needs critiquing. After watching film I think I'm the worst player on my team, I can't believe how many hits I missed and so on because like you said, you always focus more on the negatives.
On the contrary, filming some aspects of life can also be beneficial and serve as a form of remembrance. A common example is "baby's first steps" something parents want to hold onto forever.
In the end, digit memories can be considered a controversial subject. With aspects good and bad, it really does depend on who you are asking.
I'm just on the border of being old enough that we didn't have the excessive playback ability that we have today throughout the very early years of my childhood. Because of this I tend to not take videos of events I find cool, or just when I’m hanging out with my friends. I feel it really ruins the moment and makes me more focused on filming then what is actually happening. I do feel that the new generation of kid may end up struggling with “memory playback” if you will. Like the author was saying they may have trouble experiencing things in the first person because they always wanna see the video changing perspective.
I feel that a person's individual memories are very very very influential to the person that we end up becoming as we grow older. And if we end up skewing our children's memories into a 3rd person view then will our kids never be able to be proud of what they have done because they fear how other people perceived the event. And as they age they won't be able to become the person that they could have been because of a extreme lack of self confidence. I probably do have a favorite memory but I couldn't think of it now and that's fine, we don't always need to remember everything sometimes thinking of an event that happened years ago at a random point brings great enjoyment. If a camera recorded everything then the event wouldn't be significant anymore because we could “be there” whenever we wanted to.
Communicating face to face provides more benefits than one. Even if we are only communicating by facial expressions, we are still giving off more of a positive radiance rather than sending something through a phone.
To me, the best was to communicate is to reach out to someone face to face. I remember one time me and my friend, skylar, had gotten into a fight. To resolve the fight, we both mistakenly decide to apologize over text. Although we both had said we were sorry, the message wasn't delivered as clearly on my part, and it seemed very insincere. Looking back i wish i would have expressed my feelings face to face so i could of been more authentic opposed to having a filter. This is why communication is best when it is held face to face.
If we are not communicating with audiences around us, then we are not living. In the NYT article, “Is the Immediate Playback of Events Changing Children’s Memories,” Julia Chao Writes, “I knew that in my daughter’s mind she’d felt like a rock star up there, and that seeing the video might surprise her and change the way she remembered the experience,”. Cho is explaining that when her daughter was in the moment, she had a better experience rather than watching a video of herself dance. The facial expressions she was communicating to the crowd, boosted her daughters self confidence, until she had seen what it looked like through a screen. This is why it is important to communicate with our face rather than with a phone.
The conflict between living in the moment and wanting to remember the moment is a constant battle that I think about a lot. I’m always hearing (and even telling myself) to live in the moment. The question is: can you live in the moment while taking a picture of it? The argument can go back and forth, but ultimately, I think to be able to take that memory into the future with you, you should document it. As a teen, I almost always have my phone on me, and something I’ve always loved to do is take photos. I love being able to get creative with my camera and even just take pictures of what I’m doing. Often, I’ll look back at my photos from months and years ago and just reminisce over them. There are so many memories that I would have forgotten, if I didn’t have a photo or video of them, like winning second place in a cooking competition in fifth grade, when I went to a Taylor Swift concert with my best friend at eight years old, and simple pictures of my friends and I from years ago. Without these photos and videos, I would’ve forgotten so many of the accomplishments I’ve made, and I wouldn’t be able to see how far I’ve come since those times.
As for the family in the article, there shouldn’t be any shame in taking that video because one day, that little girl may want to see the video, and when she does, she’s going to admire how much she’s accomplished and how far she’s come.
I find it hard to comprehend that most of my memories are compressed into tiny little squares inside my phone, and once they're deleted- no memory. I love taking pictures to capture the moment, but sometimes I overthink and take too many photos and I don't actually look around.
A few years ago my family and I went to South Africa for a few weeks. As someone does while traveling, they take photos. My family combined took thousands of photos. When my mom got home she uploaded her photos to a drive so it would free storage on her phone. There was a glitch and every single picture she took was deleted. Now my phone was the only phone that had memories from South Africa. Last year, my phone had a glitch and wiped it clean of everything, the photos included. Now, every single picture of our trip to South Africa was gone.
I wish I still had the pictures, but at the same time it showed me that I don't need pictures to show I had a good time. It was a beautiful experience that I will always remember, pictures or not.
I think pictures are an amazing way to remember what you did. I do think in some way that picture will alter your memories to some degree. I also think that photos could help you remember more about that time. Having a full day of fun and looking back at the pictures I took is a great way for me to remember it all.
Most of my favorite memories are the ones I don’t have photos of, and I wouldn’t change that. I think one of the most important things for me is that I didn’t have my phone to document them with- when I am having fun and have my phone in my pocket I typically find myself pulling it out to document the moment, and it typically ends up ruining it. Sure, I can go back and reminisce as I look at the photo, but the moment is always gone.
I think one of the things that makes a memory better than a photo are the things a photo can’t encapsulate. When I am recalling an event, I remember the little things the photo doesn’t show- the noises, thoughts, and emotions. Digital memories ruin the experience, and they should never replace real ones.
I don't think that digital memories are ruining our real ones. They might be distracting us from the physical memory, but it is not necessarily a bad thing.
I definitely see the ups and downs of video recording for memory throughout the story of the girl from the talent show. You should definitely be proud of your experience in the moment, and not be changed or altered by the video memory in the after fact.
However, even though in this scenario digital memories aren't so good, they can be very useful in certain situations. Capturing moments with your friends through digital memories is a great way to remember important events that happened in your life.
Digital memories are pretty useful in my opinion. We just can't let the fact that we will have them afterwards, destroy the experience of the memory in the moment.
I agree that digital memories are ruining our real memories. Instead of taking time to enjoy the places I go, I take pictures. I think that it is more mainstream now, because you have to get the PERFECT picture for your Instagram followers.
I went to Italy over the summer, and we visited the Sistine Chapel. You
aren’t allowed to take pictures in there, because it affects the artwork. I remember that a lot better than I do other parts of our trip, because I was forced to step back and not worry about taking pictures, but instead I could focus on just being in the artwork.
The article says, “Many studies have been done on how a person taking a photograph reinforces or reshapes their memory.” I agree with this because I sometimes take pictures of things so that I can remember what they look like when I talk about them later, so that I can include everything that is necessary. Also, it makes me step back and not remember things wrong.
I would say that digital memories are ruining our real ones. It's nice to have a memento of great family trips, but when it's so simple, easy, clear, and quick, what's the point of remembering? This issue is just another fine example of how rapid technological evolution is hurting humanity while it helps. As such, I am in complete agreement with Dr. Siegel, videos can rob us of the true power of memories.
About Ms. Cho’s example, I don’t think she really withheld the video from her daughter, she never asked for it to begin with. Why would she ask? If I were the daughter, if I could still remember the night just fine, why ask to see what I could already see in my head. That said, there still have been many times i recorded a video to save it or show someone else. However, just yesterday (May 1st, 2019) my father and I were having lunch, locking out into a sound. Out of nowhere, we saw 3 bottlenose dolphins surface and jump out of the water. I wanted to record, but I felt that it would detract from the moment, taking away time I could keep gazing in wonder at the dolphins.
My favorite memory would have to be my trip to Washington D.C. Here, I finally got to see what I think is the most beautiful piece of mechanical/aerospace engineering in the world, the SR-71 “Blackbird”. My father inspired my love for this particular plane, as it is one of his favorites as well, at a young age. Cameras were present, however, nothing can recreate the moment I laid eyes on a real “Blackbird”.
I think that there is no way to truly ruin a memory, if it is online or not it shouldn't matter, all you should care about is the memory. If you are mixing together what is real, and what is fake I do not think you can just simply blame, seeing fake things, in our world there is so much that is fake that you see and could try and tell yourself is real. In my case I have woken up from sleeping, and I could have sworn that my dream was real, in this case there is nothing digital about this, but I still confuse whats real and fake. So I do not consider blaming the internet as a explanation.
I think that having a video of a memorable night is a great way to reflect and look back, not a way to mix yourself with fake emotions. For example in many cases of weddings or birthdays it is common to have a slide show of great memories, all of which are real, so there is no way to confuse it with something fake, because everything you see really did happen. With this I do think she should have offered the video, and the child should have wanted to see it, because it is always nice to look back at moments you were truly happy.
I think I have a very normal memory I remember important things and I forget some small details. Personally for me I do not have trouble with forgetting things I find important. My best memories are not something you can record, I find joy in a small irrelevant moment, no one could of predicted, so there is no time to record it, which means I can think back to them.
Most of the time when I hang out with my friends my phone tags along with me. When something funny happens it’s natural for people to start filming on Snapchat or other social media’s to post for others. When I take these videos and watch them back I do feel like the memory is different because when I watch them through my phone or others I notice every detail about that moment and it slightly alters my perspective. I notice people’s reactions to what I’m doing or my reactions to what others are doing. “Elizabeth Loftus, a professor at the University of California, Irvine, who studies memory, explained: “Experiencing gives you a ‘first’ person perspective. You see others while you act. Watching gives you a ‘third’ person perspective. You learn something about how others see you. I’d say this would ‘add’ to the memory … which in a sense is a kind of reshaping.” Mrs Loftus sums up exactly how I feel about technology being involved in memories. Watching the memory reshapes the one that you created and remember in your mind. Personally the memories that I made where my phone isn’t involved are way more enjoyable and memorable than those where I filmed the moment.
I love looking back at old videos just as much as the next person. I have the string of photos on my wall, and a photo journal in progress.
However, I’ve found that looking back at exciting times in my life is similar to looking back at a ghost of myself.
I can rarely remember some of the events in my videos and pictures because I spent so much time capturing the moment, that I forgot to live in it.
Yes, scrolling through old pictures and clips of myself laughing with friends brings back exciting memories and a deep sense of nostalgia, but it also brings back regret.
As I’ve entered highschool I’ve realized my adventures and experiences are worth more than any photos on my wall ever could be.
I think we should all put down our phones, turn off our cameras, and just enjoy the moment in the present.
Some moments can’t be captured, they can only be remembered.
I don't think taking a picture or video of an experience is necessarily always a bad thing. I typically don't take a lot of pictures and videos, but rather enjoy the experience in the moment. Although, I've looked back on pictures from those experiences and they help me remember what was happening. Looking at a picture or a video of something often reminds me of the experience and almost allows me to relive it. There are some things that I wish were recorded so I could go back and look at them. There's a camp that I go to where you can't have electronics, so we can't take pictures and videos with our phones, but we can take cameras. I remember just about everything from my three years of camp, but I wish that I had taken more pictures or videos of some of the things we did. I remember the experiences, but watching the videos allows me to relive the experiences and it brings back wonderful memories of camp with my friends.
I've never been to a concert, so I don't have any experiences with that, but I have seen videos where most people are recording the performance on their phones. I think it is okay to record experiences as long as you don't get carried away and miss out on the real life experience. People forget things, and I think having a video of an experience allows people to remember and relive it. I enjoy seeing pictures and videos of my experiences because they remind me of the experience, but I do not think recordings should take the place of the real thing.
Living in the digital age we definitely are more prone to grabbing our phones and trying to capture everything that happens in our life, whether it is our food or what we are wearing. We want to remember everything, or we just want to show off everything. I really think it depends on where you are and who you are with as to whether or not you take videos and or pictures. When I’m with one of my really good friends that I hang out with all the time at dinner or something I don’t video us to save the moment forever, I just enjoy the funny moment and then move on knowing that it will probably happen again. On the other hand, if I’m doing something that is pretty normal and all of a sudden something new happens, I usually want to remember the moment so I can look back on it later.
Using photos to remember memories is not a bad thing. Your photo may help you remember everything that happened during that day, or if you had forgotten completely a photo can help remind you. Especially from trips, when looking back at photos from vacations, they usually aren’t from my view, so they don’t capture everything I was seeing, but they do help to recreate the memory. Even though photos don’t totally capture the moment and help you relive it, when you look back at it you can remember all the fun you had.
I think it is a bit extreme to say that digital memories are "ruining" our real ones, but they are definitely causing a change.
The story mentioned in the article, of the young girl singing, allowed me to see why photos and videos could potentially be a bad thing. Experiencing it in the moment and being proud after is a valuable experience, and should not be altered by photos or videos.
On the other hand, digital memories can be a great thing. For example, if you see a pretty sunset, a great moment with friends, etc., a quick photo can help you enjoy those memories for years to come.
All in all, I do not believe digital memories are all bad. There are definitely some instances where they aren't a great idea, but in others, they can help the memory live on.
Social media and cell phones have made it easier than ever to record our experiences, and given us an outside reason to do so. I know tons of people that will whip out their phone to take a video and post it on their Snapchat story as soon as something interesting starts happening. Of course, people also make fun of people that post too much too- we know it's not good to see every event through our phone screen.
That being said, after deleting Snapchat, I found myself missing a significant aspect of the app- Snapchat memories. Your memories are basically just a camera roll of videos and photos that you take on the app and decide to save, whether or not you actually end up sending them out to anyone. On the one year anniversary, the app will give you a 'flashback' so you can see everything you saved from that day. And I really, really miss having them. While being on our phones constantly is a separate issue, having a camera based app open all day means you end up taking a bunch of pictures and videos, and looking back on those is really fun. My friends and I will go through our Snap memories together, and showing someone a funny picture or video you managed to capture almost always leads to reminiscing about the day it was taken and everything else that was going on, and telling and laughing at everything we didn't get on video.
At the end of the day, I think it's common sense that not everything should be recorded, but I love having a physical memory to look back on.
Just recently I went to a concert and when I looked around almost everyone at one point had their phones in their hands recording. I feel that technology has taken over our ability to really experience the moment we are in but at the same time you can always relook that night with friends and family.
My parents have always taken videos and pictures of me playing soccer but, for me its not the same to see myself playing over a recording rather than how I felt in that moment. For example, during one of my soccer games I had scored a goal that happened to be on video. But when I watched the video after the game I didn't get the same reaction as it had happened in person, it didn't really impress me. Although when I scored words couldn't describe how I was feeling in that moment. In the article it states, "Many studies have been done on how a person taking a photograph reinforces or reshapes their memory, but what about our children — the subject of our constant documentation?" I would have to say that I agree with what scientist have been studying. I feel that our parents video us for their own pleasure but, for us it doesn't really matter.
As stated above you would get the impression that I don't like the fact our parents video tap us but, the idea of them videoing us is good. When we are older we can look back at these moments and show our kids. I believe that videotaping should be limited to just the greatest moments in life and cut out the small events.
As humans, it’s our nature to forget things. Of course as humans we can choose to remember things and choose to forget things. For example we remember seemingly every detail from our wedding day but come up with blanks when talking about the 10903th day at work. But, we also forget things, even if we don’t want to. Sometimes we just forget about something and it’s not until we are reminded of that thing that the memory comes back to us. Nowadays, we have our favorite memories downloaded onto our phones, and that’s not a bad thing. Why should wanting to remember something dear to you be a bad thing?
I think that when you record something, there’s a reason behind that. Obviously you want to be able to look back and remember what had happened or else you wouldn’t have taken the video in the first place. If a memory really means something to you, then recording it on your phone won’t change anything that you’re feeling. Yeah if we record something were not truly “living in the moment” but videos are a nice surprise for future you. Typically when I through my camera roll after a concert, I’m surprised of the videos i took. I love recording things to look back on later, but I love also living in the moment. It’s not difficult to balance, I hear a snippet of the video and all the memories of that night come rushing back to me and those memories are not at all affected by the phone in my hand. My memories are not at all affected by technology, those videos enhance my memories
Personally, I think that taking pictures and videos to capture the moment can be good, but only to an extent. I’ve been to a few concerts myself, and while I find it nice to be able to look back on the small selection of pictures and videos I took, I’m glad I didn’t spend the entire time recording. When I reminisce on the concerts I’ve been to, I usually remember the moments where I didn’t have my phone out, I wasn’t distracted, and I was simply living in the moment and enjoying myself. Capturing the moment every once in awhile is okay, but I think it’s most important to live in the moment.
Recording something can also be very distracting; you have to find the right angle and lighting, and so it can be difficult to truly enjoy the moment without getting too caught up in documenting it. As well, it’s honestly not as fun when you’re watching something through a screen, because you’re not seeing what’s really going on, only what your camera sees.
At the end of the article, the author describes “lingering” in the experience rather than just documenting all of it, and I think this concept is something we should all focus more on. Rather than solely doing things just to take pictures, we should all work a little harder on removing that aspect of needing to capture everything, and we should focus on living in the moment. Besides, memories where you’re actually experiencing life are so much more valuable than memories of trying to take a good picture.
Our phones and cameras hold most of our memories, from a family trip to Dublin to a night out with friends. It is common to see people recording snip bits of their life either to look back on or to post on social media but, I do agree with Julia Cho when she says that when you are capturing these moments, you aren't actually appreciating the moment.
Our phones have turned into a second, more efficient brain for most of us. We rely on it not only to do our math calculations but, to hold tight onto our memories. Our lives are laid in front of us on a tiny black screen.
For example, when you go to a concert, you do not see people clapping their hands or dancing with friends, you see thousands of phones, videotaping every second to brag on social media. This action of capturing memories has been distorted due to social media. We keep these memories as a way to show each other who is the well-rounded traveler or who has the most friends.
In my opinion, all though we may lose bits of memories, we need to put down the phone and focus on what's in front of us. No one can get the authenticity of any event if we are just watching it through a screen. Memories need to be kept solely in our heart and in our mind, not in a little machine.
If I were Ms. Cho's daughter a week after her performance, I would have been dying to see the video.
For me, seeing things from another person's point of view is really important to me. I like to see my misgivings and triumphs play out, and videos are just the way to gain that perspective. If the performance were in front of a live audience, I would have especially wanted to nitpick at my performance by viewing a video of it: seeing how I performed would be like seeing a test result right after turning it in.
However, I do agree that that might not be the healthiest. When I'm passionate about something, I'll want to make sure the details are perfect—maybe even ruining the fun for me along the way. Ms. Cho probably was passionate about playing the piano and wanted to enjoy the experience while it lasted.
In this way, allowing her to watch the video would have cost her the way she felt while performing, the feeling while the audience was clapping, and the rush when it was all over—all of these things would be spoiled after watching clips of the reality the camera recorded, everything being drowned out by a kind of fuzz we all know that distracts us from the real focus of the video. It just doesn't portray reality, not like it was in the moment, or how we remember it. In that sense, it could rob her reality, where she sang like she thought, like a pop star, not wondering, “Wait — that’s what I sound like?”
Memories make us who we are. It is important to understand that as well as the idea that sometimes we need to live in the moment. Its very useful to have the memories recorded for friends and family though. Finding the balance between living in the moment and saving the memories is really hard but its a good skill to have.
I tend to take a picture in exciting moments for both myself and others. In my recent trip to Paris and London, I took pictures of important monuments and historical sites. I do this to recreate on those memories whenever I have ‘post trip depression’ as my sister calls it.
My pictures enhance my personal experience because I can relive them with family and friends. I have fond memories with my sister looking back on random videos of us doing something that we can't explain or remember. I enjoy looking back at events or times I’ve spend with my friends from my pictures. Most times, I only take a few and from those I can remember the whole experience.
When I have children of my own, I won't record every minor detail. I will take pictures of significant milestones for their convenience when they grow up, but I won't shove a camera in their face from the minute they are born. I don't have to remember everything, because soon enough, they will carry memories of their own and I’d rather live in the moment with them. I’d rather recreate memories by storytelling then having to replay a video and saying that was that. I’d rather let my kids have their own personal memories and not let everyone experience what they do. I’d rather be like Mrs. Cho and not show or record those unforgettable times with my kin to preserve the original sentimental value of the experience.’
I use pictures as a tool for remembering, but it's not crucial for me to have.
I completely agree with this idea. In my opinion, the performance shouldn’t have been recorded at all. Today, people are so obsessed with capturing experiences on film that they can dampen the experience by trying to do so. One particularly good example of this is concerts- you always see hundreds of people holding up phones and recording for a snapchat story or instagram. Is it actually preferable to record your experience and view it on a digital screen than just live in the moment and see it? I often have this issue when on vacation with my family, we’ll be enjoying a moment and then my parents will insist on everyone posing for a picture and it completely destroys the moment. Also, what are people going to do with a picture of themselves at the beach or a video of a conference ten years from then. I would rather have a memory and story to tell about that day then any number of pictures.
I've been lucky enough to be able to go to many concerts in my life so far. Music is one of my favorite things in the world and I love being able to look back and remember the fun I had that night. I think it adds to the experience. Through the film, I get to see the experience in a different angle. I get to hear how happy I was screaming the lyrics along with the rest of the crowd.
On the other hand, I hate watching videos of myself. I was the lead in a play over the summer and my friend's mom video taped my big monologue at the end. When I watched it after, I couldn't enjoy how powerful the speech was, but rather I was focused on critiquing my acting and character movements. When the show ended, I couldn't stop thinking about what I could have done better in that speech.
I can't not record videos at a concert. I love being able to watch a clip and immediately be able to recognize what I was feeling at that point. The past few concerts I went to, though, I definitely cut down on how much I filmed.
I think I have a pretty good memory. I remember things from when I was little but just because I watch a memory that was filmed doesn't make it any less mine. It lets me see it from a new perspective but it also helps me to remember more details about it from my perspective.
Over April vacation, I went on a school trip to London, Paris, and Barcelona. While in Paris, we toured Notre Dame and then went to dinner in the Latin Quarter, right next to the cathedral. An hour later, we walked outside and noticed low, dark clouds, realizing something was burning. We didn't expect to turn around and see the famous Notre Dame burning. Immediately, we whipped out our phones and started taking pictures of the sight. As I was watching, I noticed that the pictures, and even the videos from the news couldn't capture exactly what I saw. The fire was so much more red than how the pictures and videos portrayed it. The smoke and tornadoes of fire were so much more astonishing than what was recorded.
Sure, the videos and pictures captured the fire and how it expanded, but they couldn't get everything.
None of the pictures or videos captured the crowds. Hundreds of thousands of Parisians and tourists stopped. A once boisterous city stalled. No video could capture the collective gasp when the steeple fell. Or when the fist tower lit up. The hope and fear in everyone's eyes, drenched by tears or masked by the sheer awe. No video could capture the hymns sung, calling to God, "have mercy on us." Nothing could capture how the tornadoes of fire or the true color of the flames. Those images and sounds are reserved for the memories of those who witnessed the tragedy.
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Although I do not believe that digital memories are totally ruining our real ones, they are having a negative toll on the self image of those in the picture, videos, etc. The other day, my sister was competing in hurdles for her 7th grade track meet. She did amazing, for a middle school student, and we were all proud of her accomplishment. Typical to the times, my grandma video taped the whole race. Going back into her camera roll, we watched the video as my sister sat restless in the back of the car for us to end the viewing. She felt self conscious about the race because she hit a hurdle, and did not win. The glory of the moment was stripped away from her by her anxieties surrounding the experience. If she had not watched herself run the event, she may have felt better about herself. Personally, I did not have the ability to witness the race in person, so the video was beneficial there, but I do agree that it was uncomfortable to see my sister be so upset about the outcome of the meet. I definitely support Ms. Cho's decision to keep her daughter from witnessing her performance from the talent show via a phone. It is quite often true that how you feel after something vs how it actually went down are very different things. Why force someone to see themselves from another point of view, when they are already on cloud nine from the physical experience? It doesn't make sense. We should let people live their lives without interference form "Fake" memories off our phones.
As a teenager who is well versed in the digital word, I see the effects first-hand. I find that phones strip the value of potential life long memories. Rather than living in the moment, many people would rather record everything on their phones just for that video or picture to be lost in the archives of camera rolls or Snapchat memories. A goal I have recently set for myself is to acknowledge when I should put my phone down and enjoy what I am doing. I don't think that everything in life should be documented, and sometimes it is better to mold and elaborate memories that are stored in the brain. There is no bigger peeve of mine than seeing the effects of phone addiction on my peers. I find many of my friends glued to phones a social functions, events, or concerts. Instagram and Snapchat feeds are often flooded with videos of concerts where it can be seen that every single person is on their phone, pointlessly recording. In reality, you will probably never look at that video again. Put your phone down and just enjoy life.
When I try to remember experiences I've had, I'm rarely able to come up with an image of what happened. Little things such as the details of the event or conversations escape me. What I do remember, though, is how I felt. The rush of excitement after hours of waiting for my favorite band to play on stage, the uplifting sense of pride after perfectly playing a song on the piano for an audience, the comforting warmth of sitting with family on Christmas morning; those are the things I remember.
I think that it can be helpful to record somethings for later use. Human memories are extremely fallible, and the best way to relive your experiences is through photos and videos. It's like souvenirs of the modern age. The thought of being able to share some of the experiences I have while I'm young with my future children is amazing.
That being said, these digital memories lack the most important part of the experience, the part that sticks with me forever: the feeling. So while I do think that photos and videos can be very valuable to remembering some experiences, its very easy to go too far. The most important memories are the real ones, not the digital copies. So next time you go to a concert, travel to a new place, win an award, etc., sure, take a picture or two, but remember to put the phone down and actually live your experiences.
I’m not sure why, but the idea of losing a memory, even from a seemingly insignificant moment, almost terrifies me. My brother and I have spent hours scrolling through pictures and videos from our childhood, reminiscing. Now, he refuses to look through them, feeling they get mixed up with his ‘real’ memories. Once mentioned, I realized that I’d been experiencing the same thing. There’s a video, probably taken when I was about 4, of my friend and I running through a sprinkler in my backyard; it must be early summer, the grass is bright green and, as far as the video shows, the sky is cloudless and bright blue. I don’t think I remembered this day before seeing the video. I’ve seen it so many times now that it’s stored right next to ‘original copies’ of other childhood memories. Is that figmented memory taking space that could be filled by a genuine one? When I think back on that afternoon, I don’t remember it through my own eyes, but through the camera lens. I don’t remember how cold the water was, or the feeling of the tender grass under my feet. I just remember what’s in the video. There’s a disconnect between me and the little girl running across the screen. I enjoy looking back on pictures and clips, but lately, I’ve been reminding myself to stop and be in the moment. Pictures and videos are often thought of as tools to help us capture a moment so we remember it. But if we’re not really remembering the experience and only the snapshot, are they really serving that purpose?
We live in the 21st century and with the amount of advanced technology we have, it seems like we barely get to live in the moment. I am at fault with not living in the moment sometimes because when I am on a fancy trip I just want to take pictures so I can remember what happened on that day and how beautiful our world is. My mom will usually have to tell me, "put your phone down and just enjoy it while you can." As I have grown older, I tend to appreciate just taking a step back and enjoying the view.
I feel like I can relate to what Julia Cho was talking about when she wanted to stop her mother from showing her grandaughter the video because there is a constant fear that the kid will get bogged down on feeling as if they did not do as well as they thought. When I used to dance, I never liked being filmed because one, I had insecurties, but mainly I would rather the teacher correct me in the moment. In addtion, when kids are being filmed some of them get this nervous feeling that they have to look perfect and not make any mistake. I believe that we all need to take a step back, put our phone downs because before we even get them out, that funny moment could have already passed.
Our lives are short. Our memories fleeting. Few people can remember the first few years of their lives, but new cameras and video phones allow those moments to be captured forever. This social media generation is obsessed with sharing their latest concert videos with all their friends and followers; this allows everyone to share in unique experience of one person. My own phone holds videos of important events and performances that now only exist in "the Cloud," moments that would be better stored in my own mind to hold onto that individualized memory. Growing up in the age of the internet, I continue to feel the impulsive thought to get my phone out to document a hike, concert, or theater performance; I actively work against my instincts to remind myself the importance of being present in these moments rather than accept a life seen from a third person perspective. When I recall the most meaningful moments in the past seventeen years, I am glad to say that many still exist only in my memories and not out on the internet. My own memory is not photographic, but it is the mood and feeling that is brought up by the memories themselves that make them imprinted into my brain. By allowing ourselves to fully experience these special moments, we can fully connect the feelings of joy, sadness, or excitement and remember them for years to come. Live fast. Remember everything.
I wouldn't say digital memories are completely ruining real memories, however, to an extent, digital memories have become more important to us than real memories. The blame for this, in my opinion, belongs solely to social media. People in general wouldn't take near as many digital memories if they didn't think they had an audience, but social media has given people that audience. This has led to people valuing the opinions of others and the quality of their digital memory over the quality of their real memory. I would go so far as to say people have become obsessive over their digital memories that they want their audience on social media to see. The role of digital memories, in my opinion, should be to set off real, intrinsic memories; a few pictures or videos that spark the real memory. When we become too obsessive over the quality of our digital memories, we forget to stop and truly enjoy-- "live in," if you will-- the moment.
I believe that the digital memory is both beneficial and harmful to the way we process certain events. Some of these benefits is being able to look back at something that happened many years ago that you may not have fully remembered or had completely forgotten about. By looking at a video or picture of that event, it helps to bring you back and remember that time in your life. Personally, I find that taking videos of myself playing piano at concerts or just practicing is very beneficial. I can look back at my playing and pick out any mistakes I made or certain spots in the piece that need extra attention. By recording myself I notice areas that need work that I wouldn’t have picked up on otherwise. I also see the downside to recording certain events as well. By taking out your phone or camera to film a concert, you take away from actually experiencing the concert. I remember that I once went to see a performance in the House of Blues in Boston and everyone had their phones out recording the performance instead of just enjoying the music. I think that there are both pros and cons to filming events in one's life and that it’s all about finding a healthy balance.
When I ask my mother about her past, she is able to tell stories for hours. It is so engaging to travel into another time just by the way she describes her past. Vacations, parties, jobs, or whatever it may be, she has so much to say and so much to remember. There are rarely any pictures that she has to show, only feelings and mental notes. All that I need to understand a time that I was not present for.
Compared to my own time, I have no stories to tell. Rather, I only have the pictures to prove my presence. I remain so focused on taking the perfect picture so I can share the better moments of my life with others. But what can a photo really say about something? They only capture milliseconds of our absolute experiences. They're only small portions, failing to capture a whole. A whole of emotions and details.
This to me is very important, as I myself am sad to say I fail to recollect some of the best times of my life just trying to take a good picture. Pictures can not tell stories. Only we can.
In today's society it is almost impossible to genuinely retain a happy or entertaining memory because of the constant urge to record it. Like the mother in the article recording her daughter's performance in her school talent show, people have the urge to record in order to preserve the moment. On the other hand, mostly seen within teenagers on social media, people feel the urge to record in order to show others they are having a good time. These days teenagers get more excited about doing an activity in order to post about it to prove they did it, than actually doing this activity. Relating to this and further stated in the article, experiencing something gives people a first hand perspective. Along with this perspective true emotions and feelings arise which are key components to creating an unforgettable memory. If people are so worried about recording a moment, they are truly not living in this moment, and therefore cannot feel emotions that create real memories. In my opinion, part of this problem is due to the social media use in society. People are constantly striving to show that they live a happily busy life, like everyone else posting and blogging online. This influence that social media puts on teenagers makes them think that they need to live perfectly enjoyable lives.
Photography is a gift to our society. It allows us to capture memories that will happen once in a lifetime, or maybe just fun times you never want to forget. I love going through my camera roll and looking back at all the places I went and who I spent time with. It makes me feel happy, remembering all the fun times that I have been so lucky to experience.
Photos can sometimes make memories seem "not as good" when looking back at it instead of living in the actual moment. For example, when I went on a cruise with my family and we stopped in Haiti, my mom and I did one of the largest ziplines over water in the world. I felt like I could do anything being so high up looking at the beautiful view, but now looking back I photos, it doesn't do the adventure any justice. Even though the photo doesn't live up to the experience, I am still so thankful to be able to look at it, reminding me of the fun I had. I probably won't ever experience that again, so having a picture of it brings back all those special memories from the trip.
Digital memories are truly wonderful for capturing key events and people. When most people think about digital memories, they probably think about concerts, vacations, holidays, and other major events that can't be passed up by not taking pictures or videos. However most people forget the smaller things such as pictures of nature or friends. The saying "Its the little things in life that truly matter" really comes into play here. As a society, we love to attempt to capture digitally as much in our life as possible. This is great for when you want to share your memories with others or even just remind yourself of how good of a time you had. However, I strongly believe that nothing compare to the real thing. While capturing memories is great, we most times miss them by focusing to much on photographing rather than soaking everything up. When you really think about it there's no reason to try and save a moment for later if you can't enjoy it in the person. I have experienced this many times. Once I went to a concert and tried to video tape my favorite songs and ended up watching the majority of the concert through my phone. Not to mention when I went back to watch the videos the next day, the quality was absolutely terrible. Rather than taking everything in the moment I tried to save it for later and it backfired. While digital memories are great and all, nothing compares to the real thing.
Videos and photographs have become so developed that when you look back on them it is almost like you are transported into the very day you took the picture or video.
Personally, I love being able to look back at photos and old home videos. They remind me of the silly moments I had when I was younger, fun adventures I had that I may have forgotten, and it helps me remember older family members that have passed away. Photographs and videos are little snapshots of your life that you don't want to forget and we are pretty lucky to have them.
Although photos and videos are good in the aspect of being able to look at old memories, we still need to control the amount of time we spend on our phones. Almost anything is OK as long as it is in moderation. We shouldn't spend all of our time behind a screen so we can capture the "perfect" moment or picture. Take a thirty-second or so video, or a couple pictures then set your phone down and... live in the moment!
For my whole life, my parents have always told me to put my phone in my pocket, and experience things through my eyes rather than a camera. In my opinion, there is no fine line between whether digital memories are ruining our real ones, and this argument could honestly go either way. I am opposed to constantly videoing everything I see, because that really does effect our memories. If your face is always buried in a phone, it is impossible to see life clearly. On the other hand, videos save memories that may other wise be forgotten. Beautiful landscapes and memories with your friends are a good thing to capture through technology, because that stays with you forever. When I am bored, I sit and watch my snap chat memories, and it is honestly the funniest thing ever. I see experiences that I totally forgot about.
In the first time, I would like to congratulate the TNYLN for this brilliant and so relevant article. In my particular point of view, I´m totally agree with the Doctor Siegel. Many of our most importante memories and feelings didn´t recordered in cell phones or other place, unless in our memory and in our heart!
Today, in the most of the shows and trips that i had made, all the tourists recordered basically all the things and lost the real moment, the natural landscape or the local´s apresentation and culture. It´s such like one singer (Jay Vaquer) that i like very much says in their songs, specially in “How many ´so much´” title, that, nowadays, “it´s more importante had been viewed than see, it´s more important shows the life than live, it´s more important shows that you had been than your really be”.
But violence on "professional" video does no harm?
I think that digital memories don’t ruin real ones because most of the time when you say you did something, others say that you are lying. You can prove that you actually did what you said you did by showing them a photo and or video of you at and or doing the memory. Also, most of the time when you can’t remember the memory clearly, then you can look back at the photo or video that you had of the event to help you remember. Finally, having digital memories allow most people to share the experience with other people through showing them the memory rather than telling them about it.
1
Since our society is so technologically advanced, many people don't live in the moment because of how many phones and cameras there are around us. I personally record important things around me, whether it be at a concert or of a pretty view, but those pictures can never compare to the feeling of actually living in the moment.
Some of my fondest memories are ones that I don't have a picture of. For example, when I was on a mission, I wasn't allowed to have my phone to take a picture every 5 seconds. I was able to focus on where I was and appreciate the company of the others around me. I think it's important to keep those kind of moments in your brain instead of having to look at a picture to make you remember. These are the moments that will stick with you.
This isn’t really interesting because it’s all very true, some things I can remember but most I can’t I look back and try so hard to remember and sometimes just think that never happened.
Memories set the stage for our personality and character; always have and always will. Without them, we would all be the same, and funny stories involving that crazy trip to the Bahamas wouldn't be possible.
Since the beginning of photography, documenting events has been a staple in our society, and seemed to do more justice to the model than a painting. Without photos, we wouldn't have many primary sources we have access to today.
Regarding people documenting everything through their phones, it's normal to want to re-experience memories that will only happen once in our lifetime. Things like wedding photos, vacation albums, and concert videos are something we can look at 10 years in the future and go back to that specific event. Photos jog your memory about the things that happened before and after the photo and can create a story with it.
Without digital memories, we couldn't look back at that embarrassing photo of us in middle school, that college party that you met your current spouse at, or that funny photo of your dog that has three tennis balls in his mouth. These simple memories can now be trapped in a still picture because of our technology, and it's something I'm glad to have. If we have the device to do it, why not use it to take a snapshot?
I believe that having the ability to capture moments though pictures and videos allows for an easy and meaningful way to look back at the past. It is a sort of time portal that lets us relive our favorite moments, share them with others, and tell the stories of cherished times. However, digital mementos also have the ability to alter the way our mind holds onto a memory and can change the lens from which you are looking through when looking back.
Many memories become lost in the sea of our subconscious mind, only to fully resurface when we have a piece of them to relive. Pictures and video recordings also help us to connect with love ones and those who we have lost. I personally find joy in the videos and pictures I have of my late grandma. The ability to hear her voice through video allows me to hold on to the memory of her and often times I even find myself wishing I had more videos or pictures. It is in these sort of ways that digital memories have the ability to enhance our lives and positively aid our mental memories.
Other the other side however, the ability to take pictures and videos often leads many people to not fully experience the present moment. At concerts for example, many people pay hundreds of dollars to go see their favorite artist, only to be watching the concert thought their phone screen because the want to make sure they had proof that they went.
I believe that in the end, Mrs. Cho made the right decision in not showing her daughter the video. If I had been in the daughters shoes, of course I would want to see the video. I'd be able to hear what others heard and reflect. I believe it is more important to enjoy the memory as it occurred rather than watching a recording. Society now loves to video memories to document good moments to show others. It, however, takes largely away from living in the moment and enjoying living. If the memory is important enough to you, a video won't been needed to remember it. You can instead remember what you felt and how in your eyes thing occurred. If you spend the time recording experiences, you aren't truly experiencing whatever you are doing. You're just concentrating and documenting something that would be better remembered if the phone or video camera was places to the side. Some of my favorite memories that I can remember vividly do not have videos or a photo to document the moment. I remember them purely because of what happened and what I was feeling. I do not need a tangible video or picture to make me remember it, and frankly prefer it that way. The brain can do amazing things when remembering things that are truly important. Rather than having the feelings you felt or the experience altered by looking at a picture or a video, you can remember what truly happened in the moment through your memory.
Living in the moment is something that digital technology is ruining. If there is a concert going on near me, I will see many videos, but never hear many stories about how much fun it was. People capture everything on their devices, but not in their memories. Vacations are meant to be a relaxing getaway, not a platform to show people where you went, or what you did. Personally I am not the type of person to get everything on camera. If there is a beautiful summer's night sky, I would relax and observe for my own enjoyment. But when I am on my phone later that night, I can see that everyone else captured it on their phones. Many teenagers are under the impression that if there is no pictures or videos, it never happened, but they could not be more incorrect. A classic saying is that a picture speaks a thousand words, however the part left out is that memories last a lifetime. Memories and personal experiences can never be taken away from anyone. And at the end of the day, memories are all you really need in life. Technology will always evolve and new devices will come and go in our lives. But all of our memories, our brains, will never change.
The amount of time it takes to capture a memory digitally can take away from the reality of the experience. Imagine being the person who took the video at this piano recital. Are you really directly viewing your daughter's talent, or just watching through a filter? In my opinion, the latter is more accurate. Parents can probably relate to this anecdote better than younger people closer to my age, and I don't really have many experiences like this. However, the camera-people in these situations sometimes place more of their focus on capturing a good video than the content of the video they're trying to capture.
I'm only 17, so like I said earlier, I'm not usually the one taking these videos. Because of this, I may not be 100% credible when it comes to the subject. I avidly believe, however, that technology is taking away from our lives more than helping them. Taking a video immortalizes the moment that it captures as long as it isn't somehow deleted. One's memory, however, can serve the same purpose. The technology present in the situation is frankly unnecessary. All I'm saying is this: if I were a parent, I'd rather truly experience my child's big performance than ruin the moment to watch it back in an hour.
The act of recording videos and taking pictures allows us to preserve memories for as long as we would like. Nowadays, prepping for a concert includes clearing your storage to allow enough space for videos to be taken. I can speak from personal experience that there have been concerts where I spend a majority of the time holding up my phone, trying to capture the best angle. It has gotten to points when not taking enough pictures and videos at events feels like I wasn’t even there. There is no doubt in my mind that digital memories are ruining our real ones. The fact that we have technology available to us to make memories last forever contributes to this greatly. Think of the best concert you’ve ever been to. Wouldn’t you want to relive that if you had the chance? With videos, you are given that chance in the sense that the video can be rewatched over and over again. However, it creates an artificial experience for the viewer. Focusing on recording and taking pictures limits your experience because you are hyper-focused on your device. The only memories you have from the event are on your cell phone. While technology preserves memories, in greatly impairs the experience of living in the moment.
As a dancer I watch videos of my performances all the time, but showing someone a video of my dances just never encapsulates what I feel when I am onstage.
The nerves before you go on, the adrenaline rush you get when they call your dance, and how great you feel when you did the dance and think it was your best time. When your onstage you feel the audience's energy and it makes the dance so much better.
A video----- doesn't encapsulate that.
I have realized that I don't need to capture everything on film or in a photo because I honestly remember it better as a memory. I might take a few photos that day to remember it, but I don't need to have my phone out at all times (it kind of kills the memory.)
I think having a fun memory is so much better than having the video because nothing will bring back that time in the photo or video, and the memory is better because you can remember how you felt during that moment without needing it caught on film.
1. I don't believe digital memories are ruining real ones because for me personally I either remember a memory or I don't. With fear of having one of my memories being forgotten I would rather have an altered memory provided by a video than no memory at all. For me it is not difficult to separate actual experiences from videos and photographs as long as I have not forgotten the memory. Video recordings have affected my self-image very little. One of my hobbies includes me being in a lot of videos. Since I have been doing it for a long time I have got used to it.
3. Yes, I have thought of recording an experience and then decided not to because I felt it would detract from the moment or from future memories of it. However, I realize that memories or certain aspects of memories can be forgotten so if I really feel I want to remember something, I will take a quick photo or video. Having read the article I will try to put my camera away a bit more but I know how my memories work.
6. A good chunk of my life has been recorded. I don't watch these video or see these images often but in the off chance I do I really appreciate that they exist. I think videos enhance your memory. I would rather have an enhanced memory from a camera compliment my hazy memory, instead of just a hazy memory. If I have children of my own I would want to videotape a good chunk of their lives. I would record or take pictures of the big moments. I would hold back it if were small stuff.
As someone without a cell phone, I've been wondering this exact thing for awhile. It's that if people don't have a video or picture it didn't happen.
p.s. - Lest you consider myself a luddite, I work as a computer scientist for Air Force space systems. Wireless phones are not allowed in my building.
- I believe Ms. Cho did make the right decision to withhold the video from her daughter. In my own adolescence, I know I've asked to see footage of me doing something that made me proud only to think I looked silly and having my pride diminished. That being said, though, if I was her daughter, I would absolutely demand to see the footage. I do agree with Dr. Siegel in thinking that videos do, in some cases, rob our moments of the ephemeral power.
- I consider my memory to be pretty reliable. My memories are extremely important to me because they've helped me learn to grow and not make the same mistakes twice. I agree strongly with the author's statement that "even though many of my childhood memories are hazy, they're mine". I have a distinct memory of playing with a stuffed animal on my lawn when I was 2 or 3 and I love that memory being no one else's but mine. I love that there was no one there to document and change my perception of that day.
- My life has been recorded digitally for years upon years. If I take a look at my mom's facebook, I'll find pictures from first grade, from third grade, from seventh grade, etc. I'll look at these photos every so often when I'm feeling nostalgic. I admit it is nice to have some of those photos to remember what has been forgotten over the years. If I do have children, I will most likely videotape their life so they can have those forgotten memories if they ever want to remember.
- In my life, I tend to not record much of what I'm doing because I get caught up in the moment. This, however, leads me to sometimes wish that I had recorded more so I can look back on those memories. I think that if it has been a while since something happened videos or photos will enhance your memory because it can help you remember something you may have forgotten.
-My favorite memories tend to revolve around lacrosse and my teammates. Normally there is at least one camera videotaping or snapping photos, While it's normally not my own I enjoy being able to see my friends perspective of the same experiences I've gone through.
-I have found my self double guessing whether or not I should pull out my phone to record or take photos. I tend to opt out of this because of my friend like to video our tournaments and make mini trailers of the experience so I feel that I don't need to have a second video. Having read this article I don't think I would change my use of my camera just because I don't use it that often right now.
3. While only a few of my favorite memories were photographed and none were recorded this is because for most of them I didn't know they would be my favorite memory. The ones I do have photographed I love to go back and remember what people looked like or certain moments that were captured. The photos bring out memories I didn't know I had. If I had the oppurtunity to have pictures or videos from all my favorite moments, as long as someone els e was holding the camera, I would jump at the chance.
There have been many times in my life where I have refused to pull out a camera, but to be in the moment, enjoying it personally. This stems from the fact that whenever I record, I view it through the phone, not my own eyes, to make sure I'm getting the best video to watch later. But if I spent as much effort paying attention to real life as I did getting the perfect footage, my memory would be a better record of the moment. I've learned that a few photos suffices, as long as I live in the moment. I think Ms. Cho made the right decision to withhold the video, though I can imagine that if I were the one being recorded, I would eagerly await to see my own recording to see how the rest of the audience viewed me. I do, contrarily, believe that letting the moment settle in your mind instead of "overriding" it with video footage is a good way to go through life. Why should we let technology ruin the beauty of reflecting on a treasured moment? My life, as the youngest of three, doesn't have as much documentation as my older sisters, but the amount of videos and photos of us collectively as a family is astronomical. Videotaping moments of your children is always fun and a good idea, in order to show the children when they're older, and future generations, as long as it's not overbearing amounts of recording. Documentation is becoming easier than ever, and I would love to have material of my future children to cherish and help me recollect when my mind may not remain as it is today.
@Kaitlin M.
I like your reflection and connection to the topic and I agree with your ideas. I too will sometimes refrain from pulling out my phone to record something, for know that takes away from the present moment experience.
I think digital memories are nice to look back on, but in the moment they aren't really necessary. I try and not to document a lot when I am with my friends because I dont want to feel separated from them. I can remember those moments and dont need to look at pictures or videos, to relive them. Digital memories dont ruin your memories but its better to live in the moment sometimes and experience things with out recording it or taking a picture.
Whenever I want to document something through my phone or social media I dont usually think twice about it. If something is really cool or funny I will try to document it, but I wont always post it on social media. Next time I will try to think twice and maybe put my phone away and enjoy it.
My parents recorded everything my sister and I did as kids. Every Christmas Morning there is always a video camera set up recording us opening presents. I have never understood why its there, and I dont really have those Christmas Morning memories from the videos. My parents would record our games or performances and I never liked watching those because they make me cringe. If I have kids I dont think I would video tape as much as my parents maybe only the really important things like graduations.
For me personally it isn’t difficult to separate my actual experiences from my videos or photographs because I’ve learned over time that it’s better to not be on my phone when I’m having a good time and to just enjoy the moment. In the past, whenever I would hang out with my friends I would constantly worry about making sure I recorded every moment so that later on I could look back at all the videos, but I’ve learned that putting my phone down and actually living in the moment is a lot better than being distracted by my phone. Both my freshman and sophomore year of high school I would say has been recorded digitally. I wanted to make sure I had evidence that I actually had a good time, but as I started growing, I started questioning myself, am I really having a good time? I remember I was watching a video from freshman year of me and my friends hanging out and as I watching that video, I don’t recall much of that moment and if it wasn’t for that video, I feel like I probably would've remembered that moment a lot more.
@Roger C.
When you watched that video did you appreciate that you had it it watch? Do you feel in 15 + years you would like to have videos like that?
@Roger C.
Do you think its good to be able to see someone else's perspective of an event, or would it cloud your memory? I agree with your idea that as we age we value the memories more than the photographs and videos.
In my life, some of my favorite memories I have made will have a picture or a video attached to them, in this digital era videos and pictures are not a bad thing! I want to remember every sequin on my homecoming dress and I want to remember how it felt when my date looked at me like I was the only person in the room, and my photographs help me with that. Parents that took pictures on homecoming captured the raw moments when our group wasn't looking at the camera but instead we were looking at each other.
My best friend and I take pictures together all the time because we never know if it will be the last time we get to see each other, tragedy happens and when a picture is the only thing you have left of a person? I'm certain that you will not be regretting having your phone out and capturing that moment.
I personally love watching videos of me playing volleyball, in fact normally I demand to watch them, not to critique myself, but to understand where I can improve and where I excelled, it's a growing and learning process.
I love to take pictures and videos when I am with friends and family and when I have a family of my own I am sure I will continue that habit. I take videos of things that are important to me, and people are important to me, I want to cherish people in person and in videos.
The one time I don't video or photograph things is when I am at a concert, that is the moment where I want to be fully submerged in the music and the lights and the experience.
@A. Buzzini
I agree with you that we are in an era where this is what we have at our grasp. I also like taking pictures of people that I cherishing in life so I can look back and remember positive things about them and memories we share.
@A. Buzzini I agree with your desire to see those candid photos that can spark feelings of joy in remembrance of a special day. Your point on wanting to capture every moment in the case of tragedy is a very realistic point of view, and a good one, in my opinion. You always see scenes in movies and tv shows where the kid is watching home videos of them with their late mother and father and their hearts warm being able to see the good times. I believe your opinions are very well thought out and I'm glad you do have a limit to when you really need to live in the moment.
I had an experience quite like this a few years ago. I'd successfully auditioned for a fundraiser talent show, and I was to sing a lesser known Arctic Monkeys song. The rehearsals didn't feel like they went well; we weren't given ear monitors, and I couldn't hear my voice over the instrumental coming from the sound system. When I made my final performance, though, it felt amazing. I felt on top of the world and the adrenaline was pumping a good hour after the event had ended and I'd gone home. My mom had recorded my singing on her old Galaxy S4 Mini. A decent phone but I can't say the same for its built-in mic. When I watched the recording, I thought I sounded horrible. Luckily, I only mainly remember the event from my own perspective, but there was still a new underlying lack of self-confidence that had been added into the equation, even if in the end singing gave me a passion for music. In all honesty, I'd have a much better opinion of the event (and myself) if there was no recording to begin with. I don't always think that taking pictures and videos will interfere with a memory, but I know it happens more than we think.
My memory is around average. If the information I receive has a structure and logical flow to it then it tends to be remembered better. But most the time all I remember was how I felt when the event took place. A camera changes that though. A few weeks ago, my friends were competing in a school talent show and I filmed the acts so I could show them later. Because I filmed it, I don't remember what I felt during the actual show, I only know how I feel while watching the video.
I think Ms. Cho made the right decision to withhold the video from her daughter. Some of my fondest and most cherished memories weren't filmed, only experienced. One of my most favorite memories is riding my horse on Nehalem Beach in Oregon. There were no phones, no filming. Just my family and I on horseback. Even though that was years ago, I still remember it like yesterday.
I'm not saying cameras are evil. They can be a great way to recall memories that have been forgotten. But from my experiences, I've learned to live life in the moment.
@Casey M.
I like how you view the argument from both sides and then explain your side. It provides a larger base for your argument. Anything in moderation is better.
When I think about pictures and videos in memories, I think,"they could get in the way, but personally, I enjoy being able to fall back on those years later". I enjoy watching videos and looking at pictures from the past, because it allows me to reminisce on the great memories and recall the ones that may have slipped my brain.
For example, when I went snowboarding 2 months ago, my dad took a video of us all flying down the mountain and re-watching that video made me feel like I was back there shreddin the slopes all over again. A memory from 2 years ago, was when I went to the movies. It had slipped my brain, but when I went and looked back at the pictures, I remember all of the laughs and overall fun we had there.
Lastly, we are in a generation where we are blessed to have all of the pictures and videos we can imagine at our fingertips, so why let it go to waste. I want to be able to show my kids and their kids the fun and exciting things I did in a picture and then tell them the memory furthermore in detail.
We all have our own memories, but why not capture them in a picture and save them for a lifetime.
1. I don't believe digital memories are ruining our real ones. While I think constantly recording everything in your life would ruin the memories, when important things like performances or graduations happen I think then it's nice to go back and see it agian. Especially when it's a picture or video of someone you love it's nice to be able to review that memory. When I see videos of pictures of myself from before it doesn't change how I remember it it just changes how much I remember it because there are a lot of things I can't remember. And while sometimes when I watch/listen to a video of myself and I dislike how I sound and look I think it's good to be able to know how to improve yourself.
2. I have a very bad memory and luckily I have a lot of pictures that family took of me throughtout my life. If I didn't have these pictures I would have forgotten what people looked like and what we did. Remembering the things that I have done and the people I have been around shape my life and who I have become and without pictures I would have forgotten a lot of that. When the author talks about her memories being hazy but hers I understand she thinks the person videod will remember it more how the vdeographer remembered it but I don't think that's true for me. When I see a picture or video It doesn't change how I remember the event but it reminds me of things I had forotten. Because of how photos and videos affect me I don't think the argument the author gives is very good.
@Mariah
I agree with your point that digital memories don't take from the experience but add to it. Seeing yourself from a different perspective can help you remember/see the things you may have not noticed before.
My memory is not good but memories are very important to me. memories and experiences shape who I am as a person and make me better. I agree with the author's comment that "even though many of my childhood memories are hazy, they're mine." because mine are the same. ever since I was a teenager I began documenting my life with pictures and videos of experiences even though they're still in my head. I don't need to and I don't really look back on the videos I just remember back. its just second nature nowadays to whip out your phone and take a picture or video whenever something cool happens.
my favorite memory is probably my most recent one which happened only 2 days ago. I went to a concert and traveled to a different bigger city to watch a performance live and it was amazing. I did document it with pictures and videos but I still have and probably always will have that memory in my mind. I didn't need the camera to remember but I wanted to document it to look back if I start to forget, or to just show off to my friends.
Most of my life was recorded digitally when I was a small child was really the rise of technology, cameras were still bad and there were not yet smartphones but there were cameras and monster computers for printing hazy photos. I occasionally look back at those images (i have few videos before I was 15) from when I was young and my mother created a photo album from when I was a baby up to about 10 years old which I still have to this day.
In my opinion, I cannot stand when an individual stops at every moment of an experience to document it on their phone. Whether it be at a concert, hanging out with friends, or a vacation, it seems as if our society believes that if they did not take a photo or video, it never happened. I have seen numerous amounts of my friends, through their social media, document their entire vacations and time spent with friends. This makes me think they never really enjoyed their time, spending it on a phone rather than actually with the other people.
In our generation, it has seemingly come to a place where if you did not post everything that you did that weekend, you never actually experienced it for yourself. People are afraid that if they do not present their 'fun' lives for everyone to see that they will be labeled as boring, a word that too many find daunting. It appears to be more of a boost in self confidence rather than a publication of their time, feeding off of the attention that grab form others.
I can never quite understand why it is everyone's first instinct to grab a phone and start recording when they witness something amazing, funny or awful. People have lost the ability to enjoy something for what it is, basking in the five minutes of fame they get for posting it for their followers to see. I challenge teenagers, and myself, to put down the phones and appreciate what is occurring around you. Social media won't last forever but your memories will.
@Ashley Cosby I agree with this sentiment. Recently, Jack White, a guy I'm a fan of, joined an alliance of performers that ban phones at their concerts. When I look at other performances, packed stadiums with dozens of phones in the air instead of everyone jumping around and having fun, it really irritates me. In moderation, recording an event is a good idea, but sometimes, taking out your phone and recording something instinctively is just gonna change and distort your original perspective, if it doesn't erase it entirely. From the moment you hit record, you're not entirely in the moment.
@Ashley Cosby
I completely agree. In this day and age, people will spend too much time and effort to get the perfect photo for Instagram, that it feels as if they came along to brag to their friends and followers, instead of forming precious and treasured memories. They care so much about capturing a photo, but they never care about capturing the moment. Phones are a great tool, but also a distraction. Living in the moment, instead of through a screen, will bring longer lasting happiness than the dopamine rush that getting a like brings.
@Ashley Cosby
I agree that some memories are best to have for yourself and don't have to be documented. I also understand your reasoning that social media is a big pressure to share life's moments with video and photographs and it is a pressure that is not really needed.
-- One time I was at a concert and I started to record one of my favorite songs from that artist, but then I decided not to finish the recording because I just wanted to enjoy the moment. I am kind of sad that I don't have a recording of that experience, but I am glad that I at least have the memories. After reading this article, I am not necessarily more likely to put my recording device away, but I do understand where the author is coming from and I will probably continue my practice of recording parts of experiences and enjoying the rest.
-- I do have a favorite memory and a camera was present the entirety of the vacation that memory is from. Many cameras captured pictures of that memory actually.
-- Quite a bit of my life has been recorded digitally. I often rewatch those old videos because I enjoy seeing my friends and family from the past. I think that the videos neither enhance or detract from the memories, but rather just give a backup for your memories, in case you forget when you get older. If I had children, I would want to video tape the big moments, but not every little thing. I think that it is something special to be able to share videos of important things with friends and family that were not able to be there in person. I will hold back too though because not every little thing needs to be recorded.
@K. Tucker How do you think your favorite memory would be altered if cameras had not been present to capture the moment?
@K. Tucker
My response was very close to yours, in the idea of looking back and remembering past relationships with friends and family. I like what you said about when you have kids you want to capture the big moments rather than "every little thing". I also want to do that, I want the big moments to be shared with anyone through videos and the little ones to be cherished within us.
@K. Tucker
I agree that it is special to be able to share videos of important things and I am pleased that you acknowledged the importance of putting the phone down and still having that lingering feeling of regret for not having a picture or video later. Great and well thought out opinions.
I believe that digital memories are truly ruining our real ones. The example that the author gave fo the little girl singing Ed Sheeran was effective. It was relatable, in the way that at one time or another most of us have preformed something and watched a recording later realizing that it was nothing like our own personal experience. My memory in my opinion is exceptional but basing the aurguement around your memory is ineffective. Nobody can remember things in the same way, everyone will have something unique, and others will lack the ability to recall past events. A portion of my life is recorded through videos and photos,some of these are to help me preform better by finding error and fixing it. I do not think that they detract from my memories because personally I like to live in the moment. I would not tape everything in my life. I think that in moderation videos and photos are good but too much take away from the in the moment feeling.
@L.Washburn
I like how you keep it neutral and pounce on certain topics to get your point across. I really enjoy your last sentence!
Digital memories are ruining our real ones because we experience memories differently when we are actually in the act. When we watch ourselves the way we view ourselves completely changes. It isn't very difficult to separate my memories because pictures just add to the memory.
I believe that Ms. Cho made the right decision in not showing her daughter the video. I do enjoy watching what myself because I can improve myself after watching it from a different perspective. I completely agree with Dr. Siegel.
Yes, I have put my phone away multiple times because I want to enjoy the moment and not think about saving the experience. I want to remember the moment, not the video. I am more likely to put it away.
My memory is quite good and my memories are a part of me. They are who I am. I think that her memories can be hers but they can be enhanced by technology. You can't perfectly share memories with others like you can with technology.
At my favorite memory cameras were present but people set them up and then lived in the moment. They were able to enjoy the moment and not worry about preserving the memory.
Videos from my childhood help me to enjoy my young life. They can help to bring back memories. I would videotape my kids' important moments because they would be able to have those moments for the rest of their life. They would enjoy watching those videos and looking at those pictures.
The thought of recording an experience of mine has crossed my mind many times but I decided against it so I could enjoy the experience instead of worrying about the video quality. I lose the time in the moment and as the article says when I look back to see the moment in video. When it comes to videoing my friends or family's achievements I find myself way more likely to do so because I am already in the position of the observer. Memory is a very important part of a person and they can be easily altered by different perspectives. Sometimes, I like to have videos of my performances so I can learn from them and analyze what I have done well and what I need to work on. However, when it comes to the final performance I don't need the video to analyze anymore. I would rather take my performance in my own perspective and live in the moment. I understand getting video for the purpose of analyzing or recalling info but emotional recap may be best made with our own thoughts. Even with the power of video, you can only live once.
why is most peoples first instinct to get their phones out when something happens?
why record when you can live in the moment?
Did it really happen if you didn't record it?
@nura kahin I think that some people really just want to have a memento that is more tangible than a memory of those experiences so that they can share with the people they love and have something to look back on when they forget that memory. Have you ever forgotten something that happened until you saw a video or picture of that event?
@nura kahin
Most people get their phones out to record so they can recall it later or prove to their friends that it actually happened.
@nura kahin
the first instinct to grab a phone is because when people see something they like, they want to hold onto that memory for a long time and that is not a bad thing!
I believe that you can still record something and live in the moment, it is important to realize that someday photos and videos are all you might have left of a person,so capture them when they aren't looking at you and live in that moment while you video them. Some of my favorite memories are the ones I can go back and rewatch hundreds of times over again.
Yes, it happened if you didn't record it, I'm sure that some people disagree, but it did happen and you were there witnessing it live. You cannot discount the people that did video something and tell them that they weren't in the moment if you are going to tell someone if they didn't video it that it didn't happen, that's double standards and hypocrisy.
The most important and meaningful moments to me have mostly all been photographed or on video. The moments I capture and later look back on are ones I remember as if I was there again. There are many moments I might not remember until I come across a picture or a video. Videos and pictures are reminders of meaningful moments that we have lived. I can admit that when I am at a concert or something similar I am often so focused on capturing the moment on camera that I catch myself looking behind a screen instead of enjoying the moment and taking advantage of the moment.
@Jasmine S I agree wholeheartledly, the abiity to look back at our best memories help us remember them better than we could before. And while in some cases, like a concert, it can be easy to focus more on the screen then on the music; I think it would be ideal to have a recording that you could look back on afterward but not have to pay attention when it's recording.
Having the ability to take videos and pictures right at our fingertips makes life easier in many situations, but can take a person out of the moment. I take lots of pictures and videos of things that seem important in the moment, but I almost (if not always) end up deleting them later, wishing I had experienced the moment without my phone in front of my face. For my 16th birthday, I went to New York City. I walked around all day, and I honestly can't remember much of what I saw because I was so busy taking pictures on my phone. Every time I took my phone out of my bag to open the camera application, I would become distracted by the messages popping up on my screen. When I went out the next day, I brought my camera with me. I remember feeling so much more in the moment because I wasn't constantly being distracted by my phone. It makes me sad to think about how when a child says their first word, the parent's first instinct is probably to take out their phone in case the child says the word again. In my opinion, it's so much more important to live in the moment than to take a picture or video that will most likely end up being deleted later.
@Juliet Giangregorio
I agree with you! I think that we should live in the moment, and look back on the good times with out taking out our phones and showing people our memories of certain experiences.
In my opinion, digital memories are not ruining our real memories. I recently went on a trip to Cuba and filmed for a lot of it so that I wouldn’t forget the experiences I had but I also took time away from the camera. I remember the experiences that I recorded much more vividly than the ones that I did not record. I would say that the videos enhanced my memory. On the other hand I can not tell when looking back upon a particular view, whether I am remembering the actual experience or just what the camera caught. Only being able to remember what the camera caught on video does make me uncomfortable but I still think that my memory of the event is more accurate than it would have been if I had not recorded it.
In my experience, I find that digital memories are only worth something to me if they enhance my actual memory. I find that I will rewatch interesting/ informative videos that I have created in order to live the experience from a separate point of view. For example, I find that taking videos of a thrilling experience can allow me to remember and relive the experience. On the other hand, I would never record a concert, as that would be a memory that I would rather enjoy and it is not a video that I would go back and rewatch. A short clip as a memory trigger can occasionally be useful. I find that Ms. Cho did make the right decision by not showing her daughter, as her perspective would have given the daughter a more “filtered” view of the experience instead of having the “raw” memories. In regard to childhood memories, I think it is possible at least for me to combine the haze of my memories to pictures to build a slightly more vivid view of events. Although I am not someone who records a lot of their life digitally, I can certainly appreciate a digital memory as not only an enhancer but also as a way to relive a particularly unique event.
@Isaac Parker I definetly understand what you're saying about digital memories in addition to childhood memories clearing the haze and making those memories more clear. If someone was always recording they would probably just rememer the camera, but occasional short clips to bring back memories sounds great.
As a child growing up our parents always had some type of digital camera or even a film camera to be able to capture some important marks in your childhood. Like your first birthday or when you took your first few steps. Fast forward a few years when we're all grown up and cell phones are invented. This has access to multi platforms where you can share your videos and pictures 24/7. The memory you seemed to capture now can be shared with almost thousands of people. Now we have to ask ourselves is this memory now so personal? Or is it just something we put out there to show off to other people for reassurance. I believe taking pictures and making memories is fun and a cool way to share a little about yourself on social media platforms. It also can be a nice way to remember some things. Although, there comes a point when people need to draw a line. Does everyone really care what you're eating all the time? Or wherever you go do you really need to post about it? Some friendships nowadays only seem to be flourishing online, then when in real life you both feel alienated. People need to learn how to feel more present in the moment and not attach who people are on the media to who someone is in a real life situation. In the end people only put what they want you to see online.
@Kennedy L
By posting photos online our lives become entangled with everyone else's. A down fall is that those who view our post on social media don't experience the same things that we did. So as a result they aquire a different feeling about your memory. I do agree that people need to learn how to be more in the moment instead of trying to capture it with a digital device.
We are social creatures. Always have been. No one seems to socializes by sitting down for cards, games, music or other social events. Most of our social interaction is through the insulation of Silicon, wires and micro-waves. This has led to a "collective" complacency in relationships. We are being removed from the human experience by electronic mediums. This removal from that "human experience" has brought us to a point of cumulative mental illness. The electronic drug has divided and consumed the nation to the point of egocentric smugness where everyone is their own "Little Caesar" via their device.
For me and many of my closest friends and family had the greater part of their life photographed and videotaped. To this day we continue to look back at these same memories during family gatherings. My parents would always ask me “Do you actually remember this moment or just the picture?” this question made me think. Do I actually remember this day or just the photograph to go along with it. Our lives are filled with photographs everything is recorded to save for later but how much of that is just so we don't forget. Looking back at many of my instagram photos i don't remember the days they were taken until I look back at the pictures and it helps me remember the day better.
@Ari P
I see now how a photograph or video can help enhance our memory and help us remember great moments in our lives. Your question of if we remember the moment or the picture also made me think about the different effects each video or photograph can to our memory.
@Ari P
Photos often help me realize how many moments I forget and take for granted. Documenting them helps me to remember, but I always wonder, "How much would I remember if I was truly living in the moment?".
In the past when socializing with friends I have thought about recording a moment and have gone through two or three different ways. I either decided to record the moment to share it on social media to show the world “look I have a life”, because we have become conditioned to do so. Or I recorded to watch back a year or so later so I can see the person I was then and the people I was surrounding myself with. I would like to think I am more likely to keep my phone away from social gatherings and live in the moment for future interactions but that’s much easier said than done.
My memory is good but recordings of moments help to reinforce them but sometimes not from the best light. To me, my memories are drastically important to who I am because growing up with no channel TV and being forced to go outside to play helped build the feeling of freedom and being able to grow on my own without being pressured from social media's views. I recently wrote an essay about my favorite food memories and writing it helped reinforce the memory of the night and of aging without a phone. I think these excerpts do help the argument to put our phones down because looking back my childhood was mostly ended once I got my phone and media because then I wasn’t just myself for myself, but I had to try to be myself for others. I do think most of my generation would shoo away this argument and especially the growing generations who have phone in hand from below 10 years old.
@Sonia Gracer
I like how you said you look at it three ways when you want to record a moment. I usually dont think twice but most of the time I just save mine and dont post them, so I can have the memory for myself. Then when I look back at the moment I dont really remember I am just watching it through the screen.
Chiara C. The Greene School, West Greenwich, RI
When I was little, a good amount of my life was recorded or photographed. My mother would have her phone everywhere she goes now to take photos. Or she'll have her camera, ready to capture any moment she could. I would remember most experiences just from the photograph. Sometimes when I would happen to see a video I took or someone in my family took. It would be really bad that I can’t even watch it. Whenever I do get a chance to see videos that either I or a family member have taken, it would look different than the way I had originally experienced it. Sometimes it’s just better as a photo or not even taken at all. If I was to ever have a child, I don’t think everything needs to be recorded or photographed, it would be better in the moment, and the experience would be better to me. That way, you’re not distracted from the what actually going on because you’re taking a video, you get to be really to experience something instead. Unless it’s something I would see as being important later on, then maybe, I would take a photo or video.
In today's society, whenever something memorable happens the first instinct is for people to take pictures or videos to remember it, rather than living in the moment. In a way it could be said that people are living through a lens.
I am very guilty of this too. If I were to look back in my camera roll or my snap chat memories, I am quickly reminded of things that happened in the past. Rather than remembering them on my own, I am finding myself consumed in trying to record these for the future.
Julia Cho writes about how looking at a video right after can alter the memory and said "... my mother took out her iPhone to show a video she'd taken of my 10-year old daughter's performance..." I can relate to this as well because my mom loves to take pictures to remember things and is always videoing or photographing things that us kids are doing and then will show us at a later date, in which we squirm and squint just like Cho's daughter.
In a way, I don't see an issue with preserving memories this way but then again it is taking away from the original memory and the situation as a whole. They say a picture says a thousand words but is this crossing the line of living in the moment? It is the 21st century and we are uncovering new inventions that allow us to preserve memories but we as humans need to find the perfect balance between living in the moment and living through a lens.
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I can also relate to cringing at a photo that was taken of my younger self. Although I feel that photos sometime capture the true feeling of the moment, they take away from the living in the moment. The upside of this is that you can have the opportunity to remember something that you forgot. Taking photos is similar to writing things down paper and pencil style, it might actually capture more. Sadely people take this to an extreme and sometimes try to capture everything they believe to be moment on tape. I beleive that there is a fine line when trying to capture the moment.
I think pictures and videos are beneficial to our youth. By having access to tangible reminders of events and memories, it keeps us in touch with our past, and helps us remember the importance of our memories. I think videos enhance our memories by letting us see things from a new perspective. The author of this article is concerned that the video will detract from the "magical" feeling her daughter experienced at the talent show; however I disagree. The personal experience will always be her daughters, but by watching the video she is allowed to once again be in that moment and enjoy the show. When I have children of my own, I will video and photograph their childhood experiences, because I believe that this method gives access to the past, and that is a powerful thing. However, I do think that living through a camera lens is dangerous. It is not healthy to spend our lives videotaping and photographing everything, instead of enjoying the moments while we are living them. I think it is important to maintain a balance of being able to keep tangible memories- though photos and videos, but also live the moments and gather our own feelings and personal experiences.
@Grace Hare I feel like showing a video of a child performing immediately after their performance is not actually beneficial. They should be allowed time to let their performance sink in and really think about their performance. I am a musician and watching a video or listening to a recording right after the performance makes me focus on the bad that I can hear rather than feeling that sense of satisfaction that I immediately felt following the performance. I do not disagree that listening afterwards is helpful, but not so soon to the actual performance. Let the child have that sense of pride and satisfaction for a while before you show them their performance.
I believe that it didn't matter but the experiences is important but that's not the point of video recording. I think the point is more to record the performances and show to family like the story about the mother she should have shown a relative. Or to keep the memory till your older when you can look back to see yourself. In any recording you hear and see yourself different because your not use to it. Your use to hearing other people and seeing other people so the only thing that changes in perception until you get use to it personally. That why i believe that if you record yourself their will always be some imperfection from the direct experiences.
These days nearly everyone has a phone and many people record and photograph everything experience they have. When you go to a concert all you can see in the crowd is a sea of phones. Many people are watching their lives through the lenses of a camera rather than actually living in the moment. At times I look back on my camera roll and find a couple of really good memories that I forgot about but majority of them are useless videos that I just delete later on. A lot of my favorite memories weren’t recorded and in a way that makes them feel more personal. With most of the videos recorded are plastered across social media for millions to see but your memories are something that is individual to you that you can share with friends. There is a good time for cameras to preserve special moments. Kids enjoy looking back on childhood memories to go along with the stories but in many cases people go overboard and capture every second rather than living them. This is one of the many issues we face in our modern society.