No one enjoys the moment anymore

[BubblesBlossomAndButtercup]

I went to London to watch the NYE fireworks. I took a few pictures during the display but there was no way I was filming the countdown. I wanted to enjoy it.
I can’t speak for everyone who went of course, but certainly in my section, everyone was filming it. When the moment came, DP and I hugged and kissed - and no one else around us did.

We had a good view ruined a lot by people holding up their phones. Fine for a second, but for the whole thing!!!

Has the world gone mad? :(

I've always taken lots of photos, back then it was on 35mm rolls and I had to be really careful about which scenes I'd photograph. But it's always been important to me to keep a record of events, long before camera phones existed. I actually quite like the fact that it's ubiquitous now, because I always did feel a bit self-conscious about taking photos and now I don't.

I look back at the photos and videos I've taken quite regularly. Most of my photos feature my family, though I also take lots of photos of my local area too. I love seeing vintage photos of the area and recognising the same streets. I don't feel it stops me from living in the moment though. I can still enjoy my time and also record it. I never take photos at an event where photography is banned though.

@cardibach I never mention 'sad' 'tragic' or 'showing off'...you did.

I prefer to be authentic and in the moment rather than ten seconds of staged activities just to post online. However, each to their own.

I’m not sure who “this next generation” refers to? I’m guessing you mean people
younger then you? Apologies if I e misunderstood your post. We were at Christmas at Kew the other day (I’m mid 50’s) and the people standing with their iPads / phones taking endless long videos of the displays were by and large my age or older. The young people seemed very much in the moment.

I agree, I think it's quite sad. I love to take a couple of photos to remember occasions by, but mostly like to enjoy the moment. I find it very sad that lots of parents of small children only look at their kids through the phone camera lens when at the park/beach etc. Everyone likes to have lots of pictures of their little ones growing up, and to share with relatives, but it doesn't have to be every moment of every day of their lives. What's the point in having great photo/video memory of going to an event if you didn't actually immerse yourself in the experience it at the time. Enjoying the moment is definitely under-rated these days.

I've only read your OP but I totally agree. Fine to take a few photos but recording everything and never stopping to just enjoy the event is weird and irritating.

Went to see an old fave band last year dating back to 1980s, audience all Gen X-ers.
Very few people had phones out, we were dancing & reliving our youths...!
Yes I admit I took a couple of pics at the very beginning then my phone remained in my pocket for the rest of the night.
It meant I watched the gig with my own eyes, not through the screen of someone else's phone, which was great.

I never get my phone out at a gig and I’ve met a few celebrities who I never asked for a picture with, we just chatted.

I totally agree! I don’t even know why I’m on SM. Christmas was unbearable- if I see another posed family of 4 all stood, photo shoot style (with the Dad looking embarrassed/hacked off) I think I will cancel my whole online life.

Yeah, I actually made the same comments as you, OP, watching it on the telly. "Look at all those screens being held up, hiding the actual view of the fireworks. Realistically are they ever going to sit and watch that video through again? It's being recorded professionally on the telly, look it up on youtube or iplayer or something tomorrow if you want to see it on a screen?"

People are wierd. Just wierd.

I stood in front of my oven today waiting for the timer saying "this is a nice moment; I'm warm I'm happy and we've been baking just breathe it in" I do this with the autoclaves at work as well I don't put baking in them lol just let yourself enjoy a moment. I run without my phone as well 🤷🏽‍♀️

No, other posters did.
I quoted you to respond to your point, then widened mine to include those of other posters throughout the thread, as you would know if you had read it all. I even made it clear by saying ‘why do people’ not ‘why do you’.

I don't think anyone would disagree with you about that. But there is just no need to video a whole fireworks display, or a whole concert, or take millions of photos of a child making and tossing pancakes on Pancake Tuesday - every year. What's wrong with 3 or 4 photos and/or a few minutes total of video?

People who do this care less about enjoying the event than they do about showing others they were there by uploading the footage on social media.

It goes hand in hand with all this bullshit about "making memories" which seems to mean developing a series of images for others to look at that supposedly prove you are "living your best life".

They are curating a version of their lives for the consumption of others.

I’m Facebook friends with someone who was in London for NYE countdown and the fireworks, she filmed the lot and uploaded it to FB.

The atmosphere looked as flat as a pancake and yep absolutely everyone was stood there with their phones up. It looked really miserable.

It’s something I always thought I’d like to do one year and now after seeing that I won’t bother.

Also ‘authentic’ - what on earth does this mean? And why does taking a photo stop you being it? Or stop you being in the moment? You’re there still, you’re looking at whatever it is still. Why is someone not photographing it more present?

As I said earlier - my social media must be different from those moaning about it. I haven’t seen a single posed family photo!

I thought that when I watched the fireworks on TV and said to my DH "Why don't they just watch the video on iPlayer?"

You think they care less about the event than their SM. How on earth would you know? Like I said, I take a fair few photos whenever I’m out. I don’t care more about SM, I’m not trying to prove anything or curating anything. I’m just doing things that make me happy, making a record (which, amazingly apparently, I can do while still enjoying the moment) and sharing it with people who like me and are also happy to see me being happy.

Pointless as you can watch it back on TV for a much better view!

People enjoy things in different ways. For some people a video on their phone may be more valuable than hugging or kissing someone in the moment. So I would say you are being unreasonable for suggesting everyone has gone mad because they weren’t hugging and kissing like you were. Presumably they didn’t want to be behaving like that, and they’re under no obligation to enjoy the world in the same way as someone else.

That said, I don’t see the point in filming stuff like that personally. It is of no interest to me in the moment or post facto.

Filming or photographing people doing things - sports / games / social stuff - I do enjoy, within reason, though because I have a terrible social memory. And filming sports practices is a valid training exercise too. I don’t judge people who feel like that about other parts of their lives too. Whatever gets them through the day!

OP wasn't so "in the moment" that she didn't notice and judge everyone around her, I notice.

I am an "in the moment" type and I enjoy that, but I actually do wish I took more photos to remember events by. I am just a terrible ham-fisted photographer so I don't bother.

I also really enjoy watching clips of gigs I was at, filmed by other fans in the audience, afterwards. Good on them if that's what they want to do.

At the end of it none of it affects me so people can take photos or not take photos - it seems like a frivolous thing for me to judge others on.

cardibach making a record & sharing it with people means the same thing as curating for others - curating means selecting/organising material

I find it so pointless at events like concerts as you can never capture what it was really like and the sound quality is rubbish. I would imagine such a small percentage actually rewatches what they film. It’s so annoying having your view obscured by someone’s phone.

It perhaps is a generation thing in general although my parents are bad for it.

I think this says it all about today's society ....

Recently went to see The Darkness in Camden - awesome gig and very few people using mobiles, mainly because Justin asked them not to and to enjoy the concert. He made a really good point of asking why anyone would film it getting awful sound… would you really rewatch it in the future?!?

it was such a good atmosphere and people were engaged! Really old school and a perfect gig right before Christmas