The very term “Instagram-worthy” demonstrates how capturing an image distorts our attentiveness in the moment. How did experiences in nature come to be defined by the terms of the algorithm? How did the “good life” get reduced to what can be seen through the lenses of a phone camera? Thanks to constant internet access and the ubiquity of social media, we’ve begun to understand ourselves within the context of how we capture life. My first thought when something – anything – happens is to record it. Despite misgivings about this impulse, I often give in, filling my files with countless images and videos.

What am I trying to prove?