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The Instagram Generation: Why We Treat The Present As If It's Already A Memory

by Emily Arata

In a group of laughing friends, you wonder how a snapshot taken against the sunset would look. You want to relax and experience the moment you're in, but you're also conscious of the fact that you might not remember it later.

In a 2010 TED Talk, Daniel Kahneman presented the idea that Millenials see the present as an "anticipated memory." He said we have two forms of self: the experiencing self and the remembering self.

The Instagram generation understands that each moment is passing rapidly and thinks about how to preserve it while still experiencing it.

Jason Silva, host of National Geographic's "Brain Games," feels that anticipated memory isn't a bad thing. He thinks the photograph is an incredible way to choose how you remember a moment.

Cameras are a powerful tool to control the memories we make.

H/T: Huffington Post