The future of memory is how Mark Zuckerberg and Kevin Systrom, CEO’s of Facebook & Instagram respectively, described Instagram’s video sharing capability. They noted this new feature “captured moments and experiences you wanted to remember and share with friends.”

Jenna Wortham, a writer for the New York Times titled the video capture feature “the death of fantasy.” Those are strong words but she does raise an interesting point of view. Wortham’s example describes a party on a Brooklyn rooftop. Her memory of the event is that of a lavender hued sunset over Manhattan, delicious food, friends laughing. The video revealed noise from another party nearby and conversation snippets on birth control.

My memories are short films. Often details have faded but the narrative is intact. I can close my eyes and remember thousands of fish swimming around me while snorkeling. It’s a memory I rely on when I want to relax. Had it been captured on video, the reality of the moment may not have the force of memory. I suspect the memory of the roof top party, not the video, was the keeper.

A still photo is a moment; a video is a minute. They serve different purposes. Is the future of memory video capture? Perhaps on Facebook or YouTube it is. But, I prefer to put down the recording device and let my eyes see what’s before me. Then the editing begins.