Yeah, but ppl have always done this (as you say). Difference is that now it's just easier and more or less 'free' (no running off to the chemist's to get the film developed etc.) I found the Soup Blog guy to be a bit pot.kettle.black, myself. I also disagree with this statement by Manjoo: "nobody is actually looking at what's going on" - now that is simply on its face logically impossible. If anything, they are intensifying their interaction with "what's going on" by zooming, selecting, and compressing the part of the event that's important to them.

By  Gary McLaughlin, at 28 January, 2009 14:38  

Right - and I think what's interesting is that photography has become this social phenomenon, the kind of thing you expect now. No longer is there that one kooky person who always took pictures--now it's pretty much everyone.

I think what Manjoo meant is that nobody is looking without a filter. The camera creates a filter, an experience w/in an experience. It's not like a cell phone camera is going to get a good shot of Obama, but what's important is being able to show it to people later and say, "Look where I was. Look what I saw."

By  An Xiao, at 28 January, 2009 16:30  

If writing is also documenting and remembering I think my motivation in part is self-validation by keeping a record of my thoughts, reactions, ideas as well as the things I'm describing.

Before I started writing it was almost as if I was existing rather than living. I struggled to understand my purpose or place. I struggled to know if I was having any impact on life or it on me.

Now I write, even if its a tiny fragment of a tiny moment I feel that perhaps I've noticed it more clearly than if I didn't write about it.

By  jem, at 30 January, 2009 04:28  

I thought about this yesterday, as I whipped out my camera to photograph some subway musicians. The shot was blurry, and the musicians had moved to the next car before I could make a contribution, so neither of us benefited from my urge to document the moment.
In general though, I do think that people use photographs as an external memory storage- the same way we use written texts in place of the verbal stories/histories of past cultures.

By  rejinl, at 02 February, 2009 05:11  

@jem - That's so interesting. I think that's also why I've begun blogging, to record and share my thoughts, to validate them in some way, even if they were tiny and passing. Sometimes the simple act of pausing to reflect and write makes such a difference in how I experience a moment.

@rejinl - And yet what's interesting is that the urge remained, that even in the rush of the moment between subway stops, you felt compelled to capture it. I like the idea of photographs as external memory storage - a way to categorize and document our memories and experiences.

By  An Xiao, at 02 February, 2009 06:51