Do people take photos for the same reasons they used to?
I remember when I was younger, getting photos developed was sort of an event. We'd finally have enough rolls of film to make the trip to CVS (or wherever my parents got them developed) worth it. Most times I would go with my dad and drop them off. Then we'd wait, like everyone else did back then to see which ones “came out;” shockingly **sarcasm** most of them were terribly exposed or half the people were headless. But, those few that were recognizable, my family still has today.
Since the process of making photographs was so time involved, naturally we took less photos. But, the photos we took and developed, we kept as family memories. Can we really say that about today?
I take tons of photos, as I am sure most of us do. But, has the democratization of photography ruined that special place photos once held in our hearts? I can’t say people don’t care to make photos. It's impossible to go a day without seeing a new selfie of someone on instragram. I have been to weddings where I am confident in saying that some people didn't look at the wedding once with their own eyes. People seem to be photo obsessed! But, are we really taking these photos for lasting memories? Or, are most people just taking photos to brag about where they've been or what they just saw? It seems to me that for many people, the instant they receive the final like on photo, that image becomes forgotten. I look at the success of Snapchat as evidence (not proof) of my belief that people just don’t take photos for the same reasons they used to. Snapchat has over 100 million monthly users. The concept of this community based app is to create images (moving or still) that have a shelf life of seconds...
I may be in a shrinking minority but, I want the photos I cherish to last a lifetime. It's not possible for me to remember every photo I have taken. But, it always seemed to me that the point of taking photos was to preserve memories.
Let me know what you think! Do you agree, that photos just don’t mean the same thing they used to for most people today?