Camera Phones Are Destroying Your Memories
Everywhere you look people are getting engaged, graduating from college, and having babies. One quick look at Facebook and your feed will be full of announcements. These are special events that should be celebrated and it’s exciting to see and hear the fantastic news.
With the accessibility to cameras and social media’s ability to share details with friends and family, people everywhere are constantly capturing moments they want to celebrate. Any details, big or small, can be shared with loved ones or strangers alike. It could be our pet’s goofy behavior, a night out with friends, or even just a favorite outfit.
When parenthood strikes, our cameras go into hyperdrive. We try to capture every smile, giggle, dribble, and action as they come, marking each moment on the timeline of their life. Unfortunately, when these memories are locked inside our cell phones, they’re often nothing more than a blur. Even the higher end camera phones are incapable of creating quality images in low light or active settings.
Not only are children missing out on quality memories, but parents are depriving themselves of the memories. A study in the Psychological Science journal found that being behind the camera can actually impair your ability to remember an occasion correctly. Participants of the study who took pictures had a harder time recalling details than those that just enjoyed the occasion. Parents are also depriving their children by not actually being in the pictures. When you spend all of your time taking thousands of pictures of your children, you forget that you need to be in some pictures too. A 2012 article in the Huffington Post even started a movement, stating “The Mom Stays In The Picture.” The movement encouraged moms (and dads alike) to take pictures with their children so that kids would have these memories when they get older.
The overall problem doesn’t lie within not being in photos or not remembering them correctly, but in the overall picture quality. In the old days, any momentous occasion required an appointment with a local photographer. Nowadays, parents are relegating their children’s memories to the blurry, lackluster confines of smart phone pictures. As cool as those Instagram filters are, it doesn’t change the fact that children are missing out on quality images of their youth because of these convenient contraptions.
Family should be celebrated not just momentous occasions, but simply being a family. Professional pictures should be taken just to celebrate another year together in each other’s company. There are no rules that say when or how or where you should take family pictures. Just set a date with a professional photographer and have family pictures taken at least once a year. After all, children grow fast and everyone will change each year. Put down the camera phone and enjoy the experience. Laugh with your children and embrace the opportunity to truly spend time with them. Share your pictures with friends and allow your children to cherish the memories for years to come. Looking back at family pictures may become one of your favorite family pastimes.
I totally feel like this when parents are using their iPads to tape their kid’s recital or something instead of just enjoying it live….
I agree wholeheartedly. Everyone is so busy trying to notify their social medias that they forget to live in the moment. People, especially young people, today wear their cell phones as if they are part of their bodies.
It is alright to use your phone for certain things but, we are going to far and only relying on our phones to replace our thinking skills.