Living in the Now without Photos or Cell Phone

Living in the Now without Photos or Cell Phone

Taking pictures or not taking pictures during an experience considered as enjoyable may or may not affect the enjoyment of the experience. Supporters of taking photos during enjoyable experiences link photos to memory preservation, self-expression, and enhancing experiences. However, taking photos during enjoyable experiences eliminates authentic presence and creates distractions, disengagements, and missed moments. This experimental research paper investigates if taking pictures and using cell phones during highly enjoyable experiences can distract individuals from living in the moment and failure to fully enjoy experiences. The article sheds light on the significance of living in the now to enjoy experiences fully. Do you need help with your assignment?

Keywords: taking pictures, enjoyment, experiences, detached engagement, memories, fear of missing out (FOMO)

Living in the Now without Photos or Cell Phone

The world around today is filled with negative information and news that make the world gloomy. However, the beauty of the world has not faded. We are just distracted by our phones, and the digital world technology has created worries over yesterday and the never-ending anxiety of tomorrow. Cell phones and the internet have created a virtual world that has shifted how humans savor moments and experience life in its entirety. Focusing on our digital devices changes our brain’s functioning and how we pay attention to the aspects of an experience, how we enjoy such experiences, and how we create memories of our experiences. The continued and frequent use of digital technology significantly impacts brain health, including altering brain function and behavior, with both negative and positive outcomes (Small et al., 2020). Additionally, the current digital environment, including the use of smartphones and other digital platforms, has psychological and emotional impacts on the users of such digital technologies (Limone & Toto, 2022). This means that people’s interactions with digital technologies shape their sensations, perceptions, emotions, actions, and thoughts about a particular moment, event, or experience in their daily lives.

Today, there are multiple social and sporting events occurring that people are expected to enjoy. However, living and enjoying such moments is quite a challenge with the digital technologies available everywhere today. Noticeably, people attending such enjoyable social and sporting events are more engaged with their smartphones and other technology devices, constantly taking pictures and recording videos and posting such pictures and videos on social media platforms. Taking photos during enjoyable experiences has been a common human practice since the invention of the camera. The current digital world, especially social media, has promoted the taking and sharing of photos from experiences, whether considered to be enjoyable or not. However, as digital technologies have a significant impact on brain health (Small et al., 2020), the constant use of elements of the digital world, such as social media, has mixed positive and negative effects on the mental health of the users, with negative effects on the mostly vulnerable (Magner, 2018). A majority of people taking these photos and sharing them are more driven by the desire to be seen, liked, and appreciated in the digital world. Although this is not majorly bad, it risks the development of chronic reassurance-seeking behaviors that can affect the well-being of the individual and their ability to enjoy life without getting validation from others.

Living in the now without photos or cell phones, the central topic for my arguement is relevant to my aspirations to live life to the fullest and live in the moment and everyday living in many ways. For instance, living in the now helps one learn how to best savor enjoyable moments in one’s life. It can also help achieve the fullness of living and connectedness with nature and the environment in a way that improves well-being and overall satisfaction (Richardson et al., 2021). This is to say, living in the now can effectively improve and increase the levels of happiness. In addition, I tend to relate my life and living as a journey. Notably, living in the now can block worries of the world in a way that creates peace and silence, which Kauppinen-Räisänen et al. (2019) present as a moment of luxury for a traveler. My central argument is that taking pictures during an enjoyable experience can cause distractions from the experience and the ability to savor the moment by lessening the engagement in the experience. This paper argues that taking pictures during positive experiences that are considered highly enjoyable has a significant negative effect on the ability to fully enjoy the experiences.

Research Question

1. Does taking pictures during experiences that are considered enjoyable distract an individual from living in the moment and reduce their engagement and overall enjoyment of the experience?

Thesis Statement

Taking pictures and using cell phones during enjoyable experiences create distractions and detached engagements with a significant impact on the ability to live in the moment and the overall enjoyment of those experiences.

My view of living in the now without photos or cell phone

As a person more interested in living in the now and savoring every moment, I find using phones or taking photos during enjoyable experiences as a distraction to living in the moment. My goal is to be able to live now, be in the moment, and have fewer interactions with my phone every time I am engaged in an interesting event. Research evidence highlights that the ability to savor an upcoming consumption experience significantly increases the levels of enjoying that moment as it occurs and is remembered (Chun et al., 2017).

The use of phones during enjoyable experiences creates momentary distractions from the enjoyable moment. I look at the use and interactions with my phone, whether for other purposes or taking photos during enjoyable experiences, as a major factor that significantly impacts individuals’ ability to savor experiences to their fullness. Although I do like to have a few photos to keep a memory of such experiences, I still hold the belief that every time I engage with my phone to take a photo, I lose very precious seconds of being in the present and may lose a critical part of such a moment. Besides being a distraction and a cause of detached engagement, phone use, taking pictures, and media use significantly reduces the ability to create memories of enjoyable experiences. Sustained attention is important to create memories, whereas multitasking divides the attention and divides the brain’s limited processing resources to respond adequately to stimuli (King, 2013). Evidence from a study by Tamir et al. (2018) in which participants engaged in an experience with some using media to record or share their experiences while others did not engage with media refutes such arguments. The findings of the study also show that participants who did not engage with media majorly remembered their precise experiences compared to those who engaged with media. Tamir et al. (2018) also present evidence showing that taking pictures and engaging with media during enjoyable experiences can also negatively affect how the memories of such experiences are preserved. This is quite a new perspective on how the failure to live in the now by getting detached from our best moments to capture such moments with our phones can affect how we form and connect with memories of such moments.

Although people have reasons for taking photos during moments and experiences considered enjoyable, the interactions with their phones during photo-taking overshadow the actual enjoyment of the experience. Barasch et al. (2018) argue that people may take and share photos of their experience to benefit those absent during the experience. People also take photos during their best moments to preserve memories of the experience. However, Barasch et al. (2018) note that the negative effect of taking photos for the enjoyment of an experience arises from the point of taking such pictures purely to share them online. The loss of or failure to enjoy the moment even though the individual took the photos is the concern over social judgment, individual differences, and self-presentational concerns during the experience.

But if taking photos during experiences considered to be enjoyable distracts one from the experiences and affects one’s ability to fully enjoy the moments, why do people tend to always take photos during their best moments? From my view and personal experiences, as well as what I have observed, the chronic taking and sharing of photos on social media, especially on platforms such as Twitter (currently X), Instagram, and Facebook, during enjoyable events is largely driven by the need for to gain external validation, have the feeling of being a part of what is trending, as well as feel wanted and appreciated by strangers over the internet. Hayran et al. (2020) argue that most behaviors, such as taking photos, especially when having enjoyable moments, are driven by the fear of missing out (FOMO) and social exclusion. The use of cell phones and the need to take photos during considerably enjoyable moments is driven by the need to capture and share such moments and show the world that the individual has not been left behind. This, to say, is a today a kind of mental health issue. FOMO is driven majorly by problematic internet use, the need for an always-on online presence, especially within social networks, and chronic mobile phone usage (Dempsey et al., 2019). From observation, it is easy to see that people are posting to gain impressions and likes. The inability to gain such likes and create the desired impression creates an observable negative reaction. Evidently, the in all cases of joining and posting trends, FOMO is linked to the risk of developing negative moods, reduced satisfaction with life, inability to meet psychological needs, and a lowered quality of life (Dempsey et al., 2019). More concerning is that taking pictures with only the intention to share them over social media (Dempsey et al., 2019), besides creating a pervasive addiction to only getting involved in events to only take pictures and share them for external approval, significantly reduces the overall capacity of the individual to genuinely experience the moment and directly affect the level of enjoyment.

Counterargument and Rebuttal

However, not everyone views taking pictures during enjoyable experiences as having a negative effect on enjoying such moments. There are various arguments that indicate that taking pictures during considerable enjoyable moments improves the enjoyment of such experiences. Most of the counterarguments and rebuttals to the negative effects of picture-taking on the enjoyment of experiences argue that photo-taking and photo-sharing during such moments contribute to the enjoyment of such moments. The counterarguments also link photo taking and sharing as a part of improving an individual’s connection with like-minded people, creating an identity, creating memories, and encouraging others to enjoy moments even if they are not directly involved in them. Arguably, digital environments such as social media present multiple affordances, such as anonymity, persistence, visibility, and networking opportunities, which in return create a form of self-presentation (Hollenbaugh, 2021). Another argument raised by Diehl et al. (2016) notes that photo-taking may increase the enjoyment of experiences as it allows the individual to pay more attention to the aspects of their experiences that they are much more interested in. In another study, Zhu et al. (2022), with a focus on the dining experience, argue that taking pictures of food and posting them was found to have a significant positive effect on the dining experience as well as acts as a form of self-expression. These arguments indicate that, in a way, taking pictures during enjoyable experiences may enhance the experience. Regardless, even though I appreciate the different views on how taking pictures can improve enjoying good experiences, I still stand by my take that taking photos during enjoyable experiences reduces the ability to fully enjoy such experiences. The argument that taking photos during enjoyable experiences such as dining is not conclusive as such picture taking may be driven by the need for external approval and validation, which may overshadow the ability to live in the moment and authentically enjoy the experience.

Conclusion

The argument on whether taking pictures or not taking pictures affects the enjoyment of an experience is paradoxical. My view on living in the now by avoiding the distractions of taking pictures and cellphones is much supported by research evidence. Constantly being on the phone during an enjoyable experience, is a source of distraction from the experience, detached engagement, and failure to create natural memories. Although taking photos helps preserve the occurrence of enjoyable experiences, it creates a point of disconnection from the moment when attention is paid to the screen when taking pictures. This significantly affects how individuals develop deeper attachments to such experiences and the memories from such experiences. Living in the now during enjoyable experiences creates an authentic presence and enables an individual to enjoy every moment in life to the fullest. In brief, taking photos reduces the ability to live in the moment and fully enjoy an experience.

References

Barasch, A., Zauberman, G., & Diehl, K. (2018). How the intention to share can undermine enjoyment: Photo-taking goals and evaluation of experiences. Journal of Consumer Research, 44(6), 1220–1237. https://doi.org/10.1093/JCR/UCX112

Chun, H. H., Diehl, K., & MacInnis, D. J. (2017). Savoring an upcoming experience affects ongoing and remembered consumption enjoyment. Journal of Marketing, 81(3), 96–110. https://doi.org/10.1509/JM.15.0267

Dempsey, A. E., O’Brien, K. D., Tiamiyu, M. F., & Elhai, J. D. (2019). Fear of missing out (FoMO) and rumination mediate relations between social anxiety and problematic Facebook use. Addictive Behaviors Reports, 9. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.ABREP.2018.100150

Diehl, K., Zauberman, G., & Barasch, A. (2016). How taking photos increases enjoyment of experiences. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 111(2), 119–140. https://doi.org/10.1037/PSPA0000055

Hayran, C., Anik, L., & Gürhan-Canli, Z. (2020). A threat to loyalty: Fear of missing out (FOMO) leads to reluctance to repeat current experiences. PLOS ONE, 15(4), e0232318. https://doi.org/10.1371/JOURNAL.PONE.0232318

Hollenbaugh, E. E. (2021). Self-presentation in social media: Review and research opportunities. Review of Communication Research, 9. https://doi.org/10.12840/ISSN.2255-4165.027

Kauppinen-Räisänen, H., Cristini, H., & Jauffret, M. N. (2019). Silence as a moment of luxury: Insights from contemporary travellers visiting churches. Advances in Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research, 16, 291–302. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1871-317320190000016026/FULL/XML

King, L. A. (2013). Experience psychology (2^nd ed). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Limone, P., & Toto, G. A. (2022). Psychological and emotional effects of digital technology on digitods (14–18 years): A systematic review. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 938965. https://doi.org/10.3389/FPSYG.2022.938965

Magner, M. (2018). Social media’s effect on mental health: How America’s youth are more vulnerable to its negative implications. Advanced Writing: Pop Culture Intersections, 20.

Nardini, G., Lutz, R. J., & LeBoeuf, R. A. (2019). How and when taking pictures undermines the enjoyment of experiences. Psychology & Marketing, 36(5), 520–529. https://doi.org/10.1002/MAR.21194

Richardson, M., Passmore, H. A., Lumber, R., Thomas, R., & Hunt, A. (2021). Moments, not minutes: The nature-wellbeing relationship. International Journal of Wellbeing, 11(1), 8–33. https://doi.org/10.5502/IJW.V11I1.1267

Small, G. W., Lee, J., Kaufman, A., Jalil, J., Siddarth, P., Gaddipati, H., Moody, T. D., & Bookheimer, S. Y. (2020). Brain health consequences of digital technology use. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, 22(2), 179. https://doi.org/10.31887/DCNS.2020.22.2/GSMALL

Tamir, D. I., Templeton, E. M., Ward, A. F., & Zaki, J. (2018). Media usage diminishes memory for experiences. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 76, 161–168. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JESP.2018.01.006

Zhu, J., Jiang, L., Dou, W., & Liang, L. (2022). Post, eat, change: The effects of posting food photos on consumers’ dining experiences and brand evaluation. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 46, 101–112. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.INTMAR.2018.10.002

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Abstract
Write a brief summary (100 to 150 words) of what your paper is about. Your abstract should give your readers about the main idea, the main ideas, and the purpose of your paper.
Keywords: Include keywords that describe the most important ideas in your paper.

Research Topic
It is important that you use the outline from week 4 to write your research paper and implement the feedback you have received from your instructor and online tutoring. This is a template to help you organize your research paper. Your research paper should be between 6 to 8 pages, excluding the title page, abstract, and the references. You should use a minimum of 5 sources in your research paper.
Introduction: The introduction should give an overview of what your paper is going to be about and should also include the following:
Introduction: In the introduction, you are going to introduce your personal S.M.A.R.T goal/aspiration.
A. Topic: What is your topic, which should be relevant to your personal goal. One example of the topic: Cybersecurity is relevant to many majors and programs such as business, criminology/criminal justice, computer science, law enforcement, and health administration
B. Research Question and Thesis Statement: Make sure you ask a question that should help you to relate your topic to your major and the personal goal you would like to achieve.
Example of the Research Question: Why is becoming a cybersecurity consultant, which is relevant to criminal justice, an effective path to follow in our digital world?
Example: Becoming a cybersecurity consultant, which is relevant to criminal justice, is an effective path to follow in our changing, digital world since it provides protection of personal data, health information, educational records, and sensitive governmental and business data. (Apply the S.M.A.R.T criteria as you discuss each main point in the body of the research paper).
Note that the use of I should be limited to the introduction and to your reference to your goals. Examples of main points listed in the thesis: (cybersecurity provides protection of personal data, health information, educational records, and sensitive governmental and business data.)
The Body of the Research Paper:
A- Address each main point from your introduction in a topic sentence. Each key point should be addressed in a body paragraph and should include evidence from the research that you have already conducted. As you address each main point in support of your thesis, connect it with your academic plan to date and discuss the relevant skills required that connect to your selected personal goal. How do these skills connect to your personal goal and the remaining requirements to graduate? How do the resources at Charter Oak help one to reach one’s personal goal?
(This is where your work on researching sources from week 4 is going to be beneficial.)
B- In a separate paragraph,
1. address the opponent’s counterargument/challenge to your position/opinion about your personal aspiration goal,
2. acknowledge the counterargument/challenge, and
3. provide a response to the counterargument/challenge by refuting and providing alternative solutions.

Conclusion:
Review the thesis and the main points and provide your final insights/comments about your thesis and main points. Bear in mind that this is your conclusion, which means you are concluding and not generating new ideas.