The Death of Imagery for Immortality

Why we should quell our impulse to hit record

Let me begin by saying this: I’ve a special place in my heart for funny clips. It’d be impossible to quantify the bonds that have been made over niche internet references. Some references spanning as far back as the days of Vine. RIP.

I know for a fact I’d be lost without short-form clips. I’ve grown so accustomed to having them. As likely the majority of those alive today have too. I’ve many thoughts about short form content, but I wouldn’t want it to disappear. This article’s aim is directed elsewhere.

Out of the likely thousands of hours I’ve given to short-form video consumption; the tiniest fraction of them linger. I’m talking, a couple seconds here and there, of only ten second video clips. One popular service alone, sees 34 million daily uploads. Few will go global. Millions go unseen, lost to the void.

As you’re scrolling your apps of choice, pay attention to the number of likes and views. Look at the sorry folk with no interactions at all. My X feed being one of them.

Now, shrink this sphere of consideration for a moment; and just think about the content that you’ve amassed. How many photos have you taken and not shared? Videos recorded but never replayed?

Scroll your photos app. I bet you’re thinking: “Where the fuck was I then?” On a least a couple of shots. If it wasn’t for GPS tags, you may never know!

Put the phone down now, and think about this: I’d like you to focus on the fact that some seconds stick. For whatever reason, there are moments within the content we consume that manage to latch onto a part of our memories. And we find ourselves repeating them, over and over. Sometimes developing inside jokes with those closest to us.

The is also true for every moment we experience in a waking day. I don’t have to convince anyone that there’s this feeling you get when you scroll across a video that reminds you of someone. So you click share and send it to them.

We know the same is true for real life.

For example, you might see an item of clothing, or furniture, that you know your eccentric cousin would pull off or furnish their house with. So you whip out your phone and hit record, or snap a photo. That’s all well and good. Photos and videos do have their place. They’re not going away.

But lest we forget: Imagery.

The go to example of Imagery, that we’ve likely all encountered in one form or another is:

“Don’t think of a blue elephant!”

Immediately – and uncontrollably – our minds conjure up this image for us. It’s an incredible gift  that we’ve been given; that of our imaginations. And our most effective tool in evoking this gift, is that of language. Storytelling. I’d go as far to say that it pains me, to witness these two things – storytelling and imagination – be lost to our devices.

An anecdote from my own life: my sister and I were hanging, as we tend to do often. Shooting the shit, back and forth. I’m an avid consumer of tea. It’s a ritual, really. Selecting the right mug is of paramount importance. It’s got to have heft to it. And hold a healthy amount of liquid. One sugar. And in 99% of cases, with only a drop of milk.

I do enjoy my tea with a nice tan. This time was one of the rare cases where I’d over poured my milk. As I passed my sister on my way to sit down, she noticed it too. There was a moment of laughter shared, over how sad and pale this brew appeared. She had her phone up then, recording the moment to share with a friend.

This was the first moment where I realised what I write about here. Sure, the friend would have seen the state of my tea as it appeared exactly. And maybe at a stretch: exhaled sharply through their nose in amusement. That’s not the same as being told a story though. This is what I had realised in the moment.

Recall the idea of the seconds that stick. In this case, it’s a tiny, insignificant moment really. Just a pale cup of tea. Likely never to be remembered. But in that moment, I pictured my sister telling her friend this story rather than sharing it over a disappearing message. What colourful language could she have employed to elicit the image of this sorry looking cup of tea, in the friend’s imagination?

I’m a big believer in what is meant to be, will be. In this context, I mean that I allow moments of my day to bubble up naturally in conversations with people. As I’m reminded of moments that occurred, I spin stories to help transport them to where I was when it occurred. I encourage anyone to do the same.

Videos and images can capture things exactly as they appeared, but to their sensors.

As we view moments and events through our eyes though, we record unbelievably more detail.

With a file, we can share moments as they looked and sounded. Indefinitely.

With our language: adjectives, nouns, verbs. Tone. Inflection. Volume. Body language. We can share its emotion. Paint within the canvas of another persons mind.

Elicit imagery. That they won’t forget.

But more importantly: Neither will you.