Photographing a sunset does not prevent us from experiencing it: according to science it can even increase involvement, pushing us to pay more attention to what surrounds us. The real problem arises when we shoot already thinking about Stories, likes and followers…
In a series of experiments published a few years ago on Journal of Personality and Social PsychologyKristin Diehl, Gal Zauberman and Alixandra Barasch observed that taking photographs during some positive experiences could even increase involvement and pleasure.
The reason? Looking for something to photograph can make us pay more attention to what is in front of us.
In short, taking out your smartphone in front of a view does not automatically mean missing it.
But if the photo is for Instagram, everything changes
The question becomes more interesting when the audience comes into the picture.
In a subsequent study published in Journal of Consumer ResearchBarasch, Zauberman and Diehl compared those who took photographs to preserve a memory with those who took photographs with the intention of sharing the images with other people.
In the second case the enjoyment of the experience decreased.
According to researchers, thinking about sharing increases worries about sharing self-presentation: we no longer just observe what is in front of us, but we begin to think about how it will appear to others.
Which shot will work best? Is she good enough for a Story? What impression will it give of our holiday?
And this is how the experience risks transforming, at least in part, into a performance.
And does photography make us remember less?
Here too there is no very simple answer.
Julia Soares and Benjamin Storm studied the so-called photo-taking impairment effectobserving that in some experimental conditions people remembered photographed objects less well than those only observed.
But this doesn’t mean that “taking photos erases memories”. The effects depend on how we photograph and where we direct our attention.
The point, therefore, is not necessarily to leave the smartphone in the pocket.
One question might suffice: would we take that same photograph even if we knew that no one would see it?
If the answer is yes, we are probably looking for a memory.
If the answer is no, perhaps we are no longer just experiencing the holiday: we are also staging it.
