For the everyday consumer, smartphones have virtually replaced the need for a digital camera. The devices we use in 2019 have extended the limit of how many photos we can take at a given time, occasion or life happening, and while that’s empowered us to capture every moment that unfolds in front of our eyes, the flip side is bleak… the more technology has enabled us to capture the moment before us leads to more of our documented memories that are simply forgotten.

Degoo’s 2019 Forgotten Photos Report reveals that the majority of photos saved on our phones ultimately go unused, according to estimates made by Americans. That’s a lot of vacations, birthday parties, back-to-school photos, nights out and more memories being left in the dust on our phones, clogging up valuable storage space. Not following through with plans to share, print or even save our photos has evoked feelings of guilt and regret.

Social media and digital culture have played their hands in reshaping the way we take pictures, and we’ve learned the search for the perfect photo opp does not equate to the perfect memory. Findings suggest that we’re both doing nothing meaningful with our photos and missing out on the moments as they happen altogether, so what’s the point? Memories like the ones we’re making this very summer don’t have a long shelf life if they’ll just be sitting on our phones taking up space… the photos should live somewhere for when you have the itch to relive life’s most precious moments!