Pictures and Technology

As we sat there, that afternoon, paging through the scrapbooks, and looking at what was written on the back of the pictures...here's what I mean by less is more....

These pictures were special because they were rare.  Our childhoods were not recorded, or documented in any big way. Our parents weren't taking videos of every baseball game or dance recital. Our childhood pictures were taken, and then developed, and put into the scrapbook because they were special. The dresses were special because the occasions were special-- and that warranted TAKING A PICTURE.

Fast forward -- today's young parents take pictures morning, noon and night. Hundreds of photos are taken all day long, every day of the year. They are quickly taken, often sent off to share with a distant relative...then they get buried under the weight of tomorrow's new crop...

I am struck by the fact that as our technology has improved -- our actual ability to enjoy and document a special occasion has been nearly destroyed.

Think about it. I, myself, have at least two large tubs full of unwatched VHS full of Little League baseball games, high school track meets and 8th grade graduations. What was I thinking?

There are two things I know now that I didn't know then. #1: nobody will ever sit down to watch a tape of a Little League game. #2: VHS technology only lasted for a nanosecond (nobody I know even has a VHS player).

When I die, all those tapes will go to the landfill -- unwatched.

And this current generation? With their handy smartphones always at the ready -- they document every step their child takes...they record every basketball game, every soccer tournament.
..Sometimes, they are so busy taking the video, they MISS THE GAME itself....

But their phones, I-pads and computers are so jam-packed with pictures and videos, they can never find the right one to show you.

And the technology is changing so fast.What will be accessible in five years? Ten? When my grandchildren are my age -- they won't even know I took all these great pictures. /