Views and Visions: The age of digital photos Part 1

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the value I place on certain items. For example, if my house were to go up in flames, which items would I try to save? Let’s pretend that each item weighs the same and is easy to carry, but that I can pick only one thing to bring with me. Would it be something that brings me joy, like the snowboard I bought just last year or the television that I’ve relied on to keep me entertained during the pandemic? Or would it be something more practical, like the new and ever-so-slightly-fancy fridge my wife and I bought a couple months ago? Perhaps it would be something that is practical but also boring, like a washing machine. There are also numerous sentimental items that might be on my shortlist. But — thanks to digital storage — I don’t think our photographs would make the cut. Don’t get me wrong, there are some photos of family, friends and travel experiences that I cherish, but thankfully all of them are backed up digitally. That’s undoubtedly a good thing. I suspect if I was pondering this question 30 years ago, prized photo albums would be at or near the top of my list of items to save. Still, despite the benefits of digital storage, I have to wonder if it has caused me to devalue something that I might have once held dear. (Joel Tansey) To be continued… This article was provided by The Japan Times Alpha.