As every weekend comes to a close, social media is bloated with snapshots of life: football games, dinner with friends and overwhelming amounts of homework.They all find their way onto Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter through pictures. We accept this as normal as we double tap and retweet, but all too often we are limiting ourselves by cultivating a culture of cameras.
I am just as guilty of this as anyone. Holding my phone up, camera focused on the event as I stare through, hoping to get just the right angle. Think of especially photogenic events–the fourth of July, a walk through the woods, some special performance. While these are all worthy of being documented, I often find myself not actually watching these moments. I'm watching my camera which is watching these moments.
It may not seem like a big difference–after all, you still see it, and now you have it captured forever! But there is something different about actually observing and interacting with an event as opposed to just seeing it through a lens. It's the same effect we feel when we can only Skype a loved one rather than talk face-to-face, or when we see a video of our favorite band performing as opposed to actually going to a concert. While these aren't direct correlations, the basic idea is the same: a screen creates separation. If we go through life attending events only to watch the whole thing through a lens, how much are we really connecting?
Everyone knows the idea that being on your phone––exting, snapchatting, playing Candy Crush––while with other people is detrimental to the real life relationship you're in. I would go further to say that being focused on your camera to get the perfect photo has the same effect, both with the people we're ignoring while we take photos and with the value of experiencing life itself. Humanity lived for thousands of years without ever having a way to perfectly capture and replicate a moment; they had only their memory to grasp a fleeting instant. While the details may become fuzzy, the advantage of memories over photos is that a key part of remembering is recalling the feelings associated with it. Cameras can never quite capture the emotions, good or bad, that go along with anything that happens.
Ultimately, I'm not saying that we should never take pictures. Absolutely snap a photo, post it, scrapbook it, frame it, do whatever to remember it. But consider limiting yourself to one or two, or even putting the phone away entirely and simply enjoying the pleasure of being present. Part of what makes life exciting is that you only get to do it once. Every day, every moment, is the last chance you'll ever have to live it, no matter how many pictures you take.
