I am an avid scrapbooker - have been for over ten years now. I like the process of revisiting memories in the form of photographs and text. I also like the process of actually creating the scrapbook - the coordination of papers to match the "feel" of the photo, choosing just the right words to pair with images, and reflecting on the context of the photo. I find it both challenging and relaxing at the same time.
The sharing and filing of memories has taken on a new context in the technology realm. With websites like Flickr or Photobucket anyone can upload pictures and share them with the world. I like the basic idea here but hate what is missing - the actual engagement with the memory. When someone takes the time to place their photos in a scrapbook (a basic one or a fancy one) they are giving a sense of importance to the memory itself. It is like saying, "This matters to me. I want to remember this for the rest of my life." They see all the details in the image and reflect on how mom always loved that vase in the background or dad tended to wear the goofiest shirts, but we love him anyway. When someone presses the upload button on a website they are saying...well...not much.
Don't get me wrong, photo sharing sites are wonderful ways to share memories with those far away. But, the key word here is share. There is little reflection and even less engagement.
Are our very memories falling into the abyss of the "information super highway?"
37 comments:
I know exactly how you feel because I also love scrapbooking! Putting pictures up on sites as flickr and photobucket don't give you the same feeling as putting it into a scrapbook. Even the online scrapbooking sit just doesn't cut it for me. Actually organizing the pages stickers and cutouts it was makes the art of scarpbooking so much fun. As you make the page the memories flow and you hope that next time you go to look back at that page the same old wonderful memories will come back to you.
I think scrapbooking is dying out because of social media websites like facebook and myspace. Although you can put your pictures there and look at them at the moment, you won't be able to when you're older. Eventually you won't use the site anymore or have access to your page. it's always important to stick to the basics and in my opinion more fun!
I love memories. I love being able to look into the past and see what was going on, remember everything,know what you we're thinking and doing, and how much you've changed. It's great to see your progress and happiness. I started keeping all my messages on myspace on it's great to look back. I wish i did that from the beggining. I wish there was some way to o back and see it all again.
The internet is an abyss of information, but that's why we have to put everything that's important and remember it, not just anything, but something with meaning.
I agree with you with the reflection, because when you scrap book it’s usually with old photos that are actually printed but with the pictures of today you can see them right away and reflect upon them right away so you don’t tend to notice the little details, and uploading a picture is much faster than making a scrapbook. Now I don’t agree with the last statement, it’s too broad, and people are not losing their "memories" because of the internet, people still look back on those pictures and they still have the memory of what happened that day, it may not be detailed but I don’t think we are losing our memories to the internet. We do take a lot more pictures now because we practically have a limitless capacity of pictures in our cameras, so we now take pictures of every moment, not just the special one.
But I would agree more with the statement below if it said we were losing our memories to the new cameras because we can now take millions of pictures and delete them right away if you don’t like them, and before all it was was taking a picture and then hoping it would turn out good. And most cameras could only hold 24 pictures now we can hold 700, so their is a lot of difference in the pictures we actually keep to be in our memories.
People are always going to scrapbook, it’s just a fun thing that a lot of people like to do. The internet might help that out by making a scrapbooking website where you can upload the photos and then make a book online, but the concepts will be the same. We don’t need to reject the new ways of taking pictures and storing them, we need to embrace them and learn how to still reflect on the important moments while having thousands of pictures on our computers. Technology is advancing at a very fats pace, so we can either ignore it and get lost behind, or embrace it and learn to live and have "memories" with the new technologies that are introduced today.
I have a different approach to harnessing my memories. I like to take a lot of pictures of something that is happening, then save them on my computer and add caption. Cutting and pasting pictures to a book seems like a lot of work for me. What if there’s a fire? All that hard work will be lost.
I made a scrapbook with my friend Ashley for JROTC and I gotta say it was pretty fun. Seeing all the memories and putting them together in a way that is fun, goofy, and creative. That was the first scrapbook I've ever made, but I doubt I won't ever do it again. I just don't really care to spend my time scrapbooking. That could be why so many people just upload photos, because they don't care or are too lazy to scrapbook.
I completly agree! I love crapbooking too. My cusin used to sell them and shes the one who got me into them. Its fun and make awsome presents! But i dont really upload pictures on the web. One, because its not that safe and second my computer is old and it takes forever!! so I just share them the old fashion way. Its funny that you wrote about scrabooking because im actually working on one for a special friend =)
I feel that if you need to pose for a picture, it ruins the moment. I think all the memories should be sporadic, but thats not the question here.
I do agree that scrapbooking in something you can actually hold and put together by hand is more personal than one you put together or just upload online. With online pictures, you don't have anything but a caption that is typed to put a memory to it. With scrapbooking you can express the moment however you choose. There are way more limitations to memories online.
I find the uploading of personal or memory filled pictures onto a website to be completely pointless and takes the memory and tears it apart since the family I grew up with we were taught that no matter how bad you have it you will always have one thing inside you and that is memories and the fact that you can just go ahead and tell the world "oh hey look at my wacked out family or at my dads hairdo" really takes the beauty out of the memory itself since most people would take the picture either as a joke or make a statement that only a ten year old would.
I've scrapbooked before with my grandparents and I gotta admit theres nothing more refreshing than seeing old pictures of my parents. But these aren't memoruies I'm willing to share with anoyone.
I've grown up in a family of scrap bookers. My mom has created scrapbooks ever since she was a little girl and my dad is obsessed with making elaborate photo albums after every single trip we go on. There is absolutely no way that anyone can compare the emotional attachments brought scrapbooks as opposed to the lack of attachment brought upon by photo sites. On a photo site you can see the images but its hard to put yourself in the picture. With a scrapbook, with every turn of the page you can really relive each and every memory.
Memory to me means a lot. My brother and I often just sit back and talk about the past and have fun talking about it. Because when we talk about it we start to say that we should of appreciated it more when we had it because we don't have it anymore. We will laugh about and just smile about it. We will think of stupid things that we did when we were kids and what happened to us and how we were punished. Also, spending time with family because when I lived up in Connecticut. Most of our family lived there and holidays were the greatest.
I have made a few scrapbooks, I made one for me and my boyfriends one year anniversary. I also made an online scrap book for my grandmother. I love sitting home and picking up an old scrapbook or photo album and looking back to remember the laughs or the tears that went into the moment. I do think that myspace/facebook photos are not meant to be a forever thing. I do although have some pictures on myspace that I printed out and want to save forever.
I actually have two scrapbooks as of now and working on a third. I have always loved the concept of scrapbooking but they're just so time consuming. When i scrapbook i tend to go a little crazy and get the special paper with the backgrounds, glitter, stickers, quotes from friends, but that’s the point. With photobucket or flicker there’s no, little stickers or glitter or funny arrangements of pictures they're just...there. Memories are important to be able to remembering all the good in your life, scrapbooks are a great and sentimental way to remember them and they are always there for you to look back on for years to come.
If it is such an important memory, shouldn't you be able to recall it anyways? It's nice to have an image just incase, but if it means that much to you, you shouldn't need a picture.
I have never really been the scrap booking type. I can't just sit down and start scrapbooking because I would get bored in two seconds. On my walls I have a lot of pictures of my family and friends. They reflect certain events and when I am sad I enjoy looking at these pictures. I look at pictures as memories; where you were and how you've changed. My mom used to tell me that no matter how bad you look in a picture you can't throw it away!! I strongly believe that scrapbooking is no longer popular because of certain media websites.
Ive never scrapbooked but my mom has, she does it both by doing it herself and putting it in a nice book. She also likes to share with our relatives close and far away so she uses a site called Snapfish.com and makes one on there. I don't think our memories are falling into the "information super highway" because it depends on the person if they want to revist that memory or not.
Haha this is so true. Although I don't scrap book or ever will, my friend just started with the parties we go to each weekend. In fact, today we got the pictures printed and we hysterically laughed because some pictures were from months ago. He has no time on his hands so I guess its fun for him. Scrapbooking is a cool way to revisit the memories and always look back to the fun times you had.
I'm not so much of a scrapbooker, but I could definitely see how people get into it. It also may be something that people get into later in life because it happens to end up being an expensive hobby.
I happen to be a photobucket account-holder as well and I feel that it's not really a scrapbook. I never use it anymore, but when I did, it was just so I could upload pictures and get the URL to put on MySpace lol. But it is fun to go back years later and look through the old pictures, but like you said, "When someone presses the upload button on a website they are saying...well...not much." Absolutely true.
Putting pictures on the internet is a lot less personal. It's true that others get to see them, but it's definitely not the same as taking time to put them in a scrapbook and cut out the little boarders and put stickers on top. They say that pictures say a thousand words but you can add about a hundred more when you put them in a scrapbook.
Well I do agree that looking through a photo album and looking through a photo file on the computer give off two totally different vibes. Photo albums are where the classic unforgetable memories go, only the best, while a file on the computer can fit any little moment that might have happened on a special occasion. They are photos to look at quickly without having to examine all of them. I have never done a scrap book but if I had pictures of something memorable enough then I guess I would like to try it. Both ideas sound fun, and I think one day we will both have an album and a file on our computers filled with pictures of how I kicked your ass at Wii boxing.
I love making collages. Rather than having to open a book to see my pictures, I have them in big frames along with stickers and other random things that relate. Being able to just look across my room and see many pictures allows me to remember good times, it also adds so much personality to my room.
I still upload most of my pictures on to facebook, but spending the time to show them in a frame just makes them mean more to me.
I truly cherish my memories from the past, like back in Boston and France. I absolutely love scrapbooking! It so much fun to do and entertaining. Even though it can be quite expensive, the price is worth it. Arts and crafts have always attracts my attention. Especially, organizing the photos with the cutout stickers and letters to their corresponding pages. The best part is went your project is complete. Uploading pictures on photobucket or myspace doesnt giving the same effect as having it in your own bare hands.
I think people are getting lost in the hoopla on the internet and are forgetting the pasttime known as scrapbooking. I have never done scrapbooking, but my cousins have done many for my relatives and the seem to enjoy them a lot. The photo sharing sites just don't provide the same sentimental feelings that one might get from a scrapbook, although I enjoy looking at Flickr, because I have found myself in photos I didn't expect to see myself in.
I have to agree with you, when someone takes the time to stick their memories in a scrap book, its a lot more meaningful than just pressing the upload button. Personally, I do neither, but its important for me to take notice of this since i might do these things in the future.
I don't personally scrapbook, but they do bring back such vivid memories that most things can't. The collection of pictures with the great art around it make the memories so much better. Some times it can make you feel like you were there again, or reliving that moment again. Good memories can make the best of our worst days. One of my favorite sayings that relates to good memories is "Good times....good times..."
Memories are something that no one can take away from you. It's a fun thing to look in the past and everything that has happened. That's always fun! It can cheer me up or make me feel sad but I always have fun doing it. The best way to do it is to scrap book like you do =]
i personally don't upload pictures unless they mean something to me. But there are the "facebook moment" girls, who just take pictures for the heck of it. I think that's wrong.
I love putting pictures in scrapbooks. I find it very joyful. I haven't really had time to but we have many my dad put a bunch together and I put a few together. I made one for my mom, from when she was a teenager to more recent ones not to long ago and she loved it. I even put funny sayings next to the picture. I can't speak for everyone else but my memories aren't falling into an abyss.
I love to scrapbook; I find it to be such an enjoyable past time. I especially love to scrapbook for my friends and family and they always love to receive on as a gift because they are so personal and memory filled. Whenever I can do a scrapbook for a project too I take advantage because I love them so much, I'll enjoy doing it. I like the websites like Photobucket and Flicker because I am able to get my photography pictures from there or put up pictures I've taken but, I agree with you, they do lack the memories.
Im not a big fan of photos, but I like remembering things different ways. For example if you smell a familiar scent you haven't smelled in years you bring back more memories than a picture. Also, I like re-watching movies I haven't seen in years to juxtapose my perspective then and now. Its amazing how much your opinion could change in a few years.
I would have to say that I had never thought of it this way until now. I had never thought of my uploading pictures onto the highway of fast speed internet as losing the complexities of the memory itself. I can see how it would and how it will only increase in the future, but I think with new ideas of uploading pictures and sharing them via online/internet there will be advances in the aiding of the memories as well.
I have a couple scrap books myself and i really enjoy looking at them from time to time. I wish I took more time to work on them though. I honestly can't remember the last time I added new photos to it. I totally agree with you on the whole memories being personal thing. We just don't appreciate our memories like we used to. I love looking back and seeing the pictures cut in different shapes, surrounded by stickers and decorative paper cut outs. This post makes me miss it :) I think you just inspired me to work on my scrapbook this weekend!
I still don't think I realize what a scrapbook really means. I've had a couple in my lifetime, and they were really good I hear. They contained pictures of me when I was younger, and the place I came from.
Sadly those were destroyed, with all the memories of me until the age of 5, so that I have a 5 year gap in my life I will never be able to fill in. I don't know what I looked like, I don't know where I went to school at, nothing, all razed by fire.
I think it is a fitting way to lose your memories, destruction borne in flames, the same ember that built my character in many ways, because I never really knew who I was.
Honestly,
i never really was a fan of taking pictures, i never think of it at the time that something is happening. It just happens, and if i remember then great, if not, i cant remember what im missing anyways.
I see where you're going with the fact that seeing pictures over a t.v screen instead of actually live picture, diminishes the value of the photo.
But everything now a days is over the computer anyways. Even my dad, who's V.P of a photographic product distribution company has lost over 50% sales due to digital cameras.
But later on when the future generation really never sees what its like to have an actualy photo. Then i guess they wont be missing out on much, and the computer screen will actually be as if they were looking at the original.
I agree that scrapbooking is were it's at. One thing i can truly say i regret in my life is not taking more pictures. There's nothing like looking at old photos . It's amazing how a still image can bring back so many memories.
Scrapbooks are great when it comes to showing your memories to other people who may have not been there to witness it, but uploading your pictures to a photo sharing website should have no effect on the memories that you hold. I wouldn't go as far to say that our memories are falling into the abyss of the information super highway, but people are definitely putting down the scissors and turning to websites such as Flickr and Photobucket.
I agree with you that this is just one of the many things that seem to lose the romance it once had, with the multiplying need for a materialistic and technologically advanced world. But its just one out of the superfluous amount of lost traditions. You may have to give up something that’s important to you, but what you get from it is very rewarding and completely worth it. Scrap booking isn’t band, maybe it wont be as common anymore but I’m sure that wont stop you. The new ability to access pictures fast and easy, just improves the way of reminiscing on a moment. Now that private privilege of putting together a scrapbook to remember the moment will be shared for all.
I love scarpbooking! especially when you go on vacation and takes lots of pictures:)then when we come back form vacation my sister and I go to walmart and target and buy every scrapbook kit that there is! haha....
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