Memories

Where do we keep them for the future?

After reading a post on Medium about the author losing camera equipments and photos, it got me thinking about how can we keep our photographs. Our memories.

Ever since I’ve made the shift to a smartphone, taking photos and uploading to Facebook has never been easier. Snap a photo, then tap a button or two, and you’re done uploading your photo to the social network.

2010 came and Instagram was born. I loved the app. I never really used filters on my photos till I used Instagram. Till today, it has been a great medium for me to share photos taken with my phone onto a social network with more audiences. Another platform for mobile users to share their photos.

In March 2013, I had a trip to Brisbane, Australia. I brought along my dSLR for the trip. Taking photos to serve as a memory, in hopes that I can look back all these later on in life.

My camera’s memory card failed me on the very last day of the trip. Five days worth of photos were gone in an instant. What started out as a happy day went dull and moody.

Thankfully, I had a habit of taking photos with my phone even though I had the dSLR by my side. It served as a backup. Or rather, for uploading instantly to Instagram.

Now, after reading the article and having my own personal experience, it got me thinking:

How long would social networks last?

We are so dependent on the Internet right now. We upload photos to social networks to share with our family and friends. We backup photos in the cloud even though we have a local backup on a hard drive.

Then it got me thinking deeper: what if Facebook or Instagram isn’t there one day? Where do we keep our photos now?

So, what’s the best way save our memories? The old method of developing film and keeping them in a physical album that we can share with our future children or grandchildren?