Anirudh Week 15: "Photographic" Memory
Reading one of the blogs from last week about photographic memory—which discussed whether it is actually possible for someone to have perfect memory—I began wondering about the literal meaning of the phrase.
The particular image that came to mind was a moment from last year when Lebron James broke the NBA record for all-time scoring. Scrolling through social media that day, one of the posts that I saw was a still shot of James in his motion, with the filled crowd visible in the background. The point of the post was to emphasize the numerous phones and cameras that were out to capture the historic moment.
I thought about how we have become accustomed to digital cameras in this golden age of technology. Especially with the advent of social media, photographs have become ubiquitous in modern society. Whenever we travel, experience a special moment, or simply witness an appealing view, we usually take out our phones and capture an image.
The social media post also pointed out how Phil Knight—the former CEO of Nike, which has endorsed James since he came out of high school—was the only fan who simply took in the moment instead of capturing it on his phone. I think this was a clear example of the immense impact that the technological developments of the twenty-first century have had on our society. At that moment, Knight understood that no photograph could replicate the aura created by watching James’s shot live. He focused on experiencing it, whereas the rest of the crowd wanted to save it on their devices.
In my opinion, we should all try to be like Knight in that aspect. Saving a memory in my mind rather than in my phone has always made that memory more valuable. Not having a clear image of that moment sparks a sense of nostalgia—which is a good thing—because I only remember the essence of it. A picture can serve as a good memory of past time, but it degrades the value of that time since it eliminates the mysterious and positive ambiance provoked by not remembering the exact moment.
Basically what I’m trying to say is that we should try to enjoy the present moment rather than immediately pulling out our phones to take a picture. Sometimes those pictures disappear into the depths of digital clouds, never to be accessed again. In other words, we should harness the power of our minds instead of always looking to cameras to save memories.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi Anirudh! I am happy my blog about the nature of photographic memory—or the lack thereof within humans—inspired your blog for this week. I found your blog a great extension of what I covered; I was able to learn about different interpretations of photographic memory such as yours! After researching the nature of how deep rooted memories are obtained, I have realized it is a very subjective experience depending on each individual. Thus, I made a connection to your blog on how each person has their own interpretation on how they store their memories. For instance when you highlight the iconic image of basketball player Lebron James, one can observe how many people aim to obtain their memories by capturing a photograph of the moment; however, others—such as Phil Knight—would rather immerse themselves in the experience and form a more personalized memory. Ultimately, there are no wrong or right answers or interpretations; each person forges their memories in their own personal way. However, I agree with your interpretation that it is more valuable to be within the moment. I see there is no picture, video, etc that could replace the feelings, experiences, or connections you can make when you are witnessing the event in real time with no distractions.
ReplyDeleteHello Anirudh, I had a fantastic time reading your blog this morning! It was all-around flawless—from its discussion of photographic memory to the negative repercussions of storing our experiences on the “digital cloud.” First off, I thought it was amazing how you empower another fellow member in our blog cohort. This is something that neither I nor other students have attempted to do, so it really demonstrates the deeper thought that went into the development of this text. I appreciate how you ease the reader into the text—sharing what provoked you to explore this topic—before jumping into the main point. This enabled me to follow your thought-process and understand whether I even wanted to continue on, (which I obviously did since I was deeply invested in learning more about what you had to say).
ReplyDeleteNow, coming to the central idea of the text: I scanned the picture you attached myself, and I was amazed to find what you described to be true. It is absolutely mind-blowing that Phil Knight was the single individual to capture this monumental moment with his memory. This is already absurd to think about, because we are not using our memory the way it is supposed to be used. Instead, we store these precious moments of life in the digital cloud, thinking that it will be more secure. But, as you mention, when we do this we “lose the essence” and the “sense of nostalgia” attached to each memory, making our pasts black and white.
This blog reminds me of a similar topic that i have covered in my blog for week 14. But, rather than applying the problems of excessive use of digital photography towards a basketball game, I figured it could also be applicable to concerts. Either way, when seeing any forms of entertainment in person, we tend to record this unbelievable moment so we can look back on these memories later. But when recording too much of the event, I'm afraid that is what causes the experience to be tarnished all together. Excessive recording really sucks the purpose and soul of merely enjoying the show, and may not even remain a true memory for too long. Eventually, you see the same video over and over, and that memory becomes stale, whereas an actual memory helps keep the relaxing and exhilarating feelings fresh in one’s mind.
ReplyDeleteI liked how you connected your theme of this blog to a previous blog–that I also have read–showing that you are able to build onto others’ ideas and indirectly collaborate with them. Additionally, your diction appears descriptive, and has convinced me that memories do, in fact, lose their “mysterious and positive ambiance” over time. I wish you would focus more on why Phil Knight’s choice to not use a camera was more desirable–rather than place the blame on our generation’s tendency to pull out our phones–but this blog was still an insightful read and has helped me realize some points that I forgot to cover in my own blog.