Preserving family memories in the Digital Dark Age
Capturing everyday moments has never been easier – but imagine your children trying to access your iCloud or Instagram memories decades from now. Will those platforms even exist? The "Digital Dark Age" describes the potential loss of vast amounts of information created in our increasingly digital world. Just as we struggle to retrieve the first text message sent on our long-gone flip phones, future generations likely wont relive their first birthday party through your Facebook page. Technology evolves rapidly, hardware degrades, data decays, and precious memories risk disappearing into a digital abyss. Believe it or not, the biggest threat to historical preservation might be sitting in your pocket.
Here are a few of my favorite ways to turn digital memories into physical artifacts:
Print photos at a regular cadence ($) - I have a photo album on my phone titled “Order Prints” where I’ll drop my favorite photos in real time so it’s not an overwhelming task when it comes time to decide what gets printed. Then every quarter or so I’ll place a print order. I like using MailPix because I like the look of their matte photos and the prices are reasonable (they’re usually running a deal of some kind, which makes it even more affordable!) AND they deliver right to your door.
Store prints in bookshelf-worthy albums ($$) - I was obsessed with the Kinsho photo albums from Paper Source and was devastated when they stopped selling them. I probably already had 6 in my collection in different colors, so I needed to find another similar version that would fit in. After enormous amounts of searching; the Kolo Hudson 2UP ($49) is most similar, the Pioneer Photo Albums ($18) on Amazon are an almost-as-good dupe I bought a few of also.
ChatBooks Monthly Minis ($$) - This one is a brand new obsession of mine. As Christmas presents in 2023 I gifted both sets of grandparents a one year Chatbooks Monthly Minis subscription (use this link for $10 off) . So far it has really blown me away! The photo quality is excellent, they are so easy to make, and are only $7 per photo book at the time I purchased. I highly recommend it as the perfect grandparents gift! Or if printing and organizing albums feels too time consuming, you might just choose to keep the subscription for yourself.
Christmas Cards keepsake box ($) - I purchased this beautiful linen photo book off Etsy to collect our family Christmas cards over the years. It’s a cherished time capsule that shows our family in cozy, Christmas snapshots. I like to write a handwritten note on the back of each Christmas card capturing some of the year’s highlights, which just adds to how special these keepsakes are to our family.
Film cameras ($$$) - For the true artifact enthusiasts, film cameras are my favorite way to capture raw, unedited moments in time. Even in the amateur league this habit can get pricy; disposable cameras are $16 for 27 photos plus another $18 to get developed at Walgreens. The KODAK EKTAR H35 Half Frame Film Camera is $45, about $10 per roll of film, plus $18 to get the film developed at Walgreens - but at least you’re only buying the camera once. After going through 4 disposable cameras and loving how the photos turned out, I committed to buying the KODAK EKTAR H35. I love that this camera gives you two photos per frame, which doubles the amount of memories you capture for the price. I also like how uniquely the side by side photos capture the moment. Something about film prints feel like unfiltered nostalgia.
Of course, I also keep digital copies as a backup:
Google One Membership ($) - Our family has a Google One membership, which gets us expanded storage for the whole family for a dollar a month. We’ve nowhere near filled it up, but when we do I plan to transfer older photos to a physical hard drive and continue keeping current photos in the cloud.
If you find yourself keeping your most cherished memories on social media, consider bringing them offline with physical prints too. It doesn't have to be an expensive, art-gallery affair. A simple snapshot capturing your beaming smile can become a future heirloom, adored by your children long after likes and followers fade.
Oh! That reminds me - don’t be a stranger in your own family photos, it’s important you get in front of the lens too! After my dad passed away I found a new appreciation for our old family photos. I noticed we had plenty of photos of me and my brother as babies, but I wish I had more photos of my dad, or better yet, us together. Our kids look at us with far kinder eyes than we look at ourselves with. So strike a pose, capture precious moments, and join the memories you're creating.
With love,
