As an earlier commenter mentioned, I do often see things better if I see them from behind the lens. But I generally find things to take pictures of when I’m by myself and in a contemplative mood. Case in point, I took 2 pictures total at my h.s. reunion.

But I have also sat across from someone I just met who ignored me to “play” with their I-phone.

Good post. You always get me thinking.

I do think its possible to do both things be present and document the experience. But I’ve also seen people so busy taking pictures or filming that they aren’t interacting with others. I think awareness might be the key. All things in moderation right?

Also as someone who loves to document (e.g. take pictures) I take more in behind the lens than in front of it. Even if I’m not snapping away I am constantly scoping the location trying to take things in (and my ears are working fine even if my eyes are busy).

I think the problem is everyone is different. There probably are people out there that their brain capacity diminishes when they use technology just like me that do better with the use of technology. Just boils down to the individual – are they Tweeting worthy moments as one person said or are they taking notes.

Think being librarians we fit into the role of documentarians rather well. I just hope those that can do it without overloading their brains do it and the rest and reap the benefits of their work.

Have you read the Art of Mindful Living? Great book! I recommend it in audiobook. It teaches you to focus on the right now and the moment rather than the constant distractions. Still the waters of your mind to see clearly.

Gah! This post just blew out my brain.

I’ve actually started noticing how often I whip out my Blackberry to take pictures/video of things as they’re happening. I feel like I’m just going to miss out on having a totally epic blog post/Facebook Update/Tweet if I let the opportunity escape me.

I’m reminded of the scene in City Slickers where Jack Palance, in a candid moment talks about the gorgeous woman that he saw once in a moment of aesthetic perfection, and then rode awaay before he could even get her name. Billy Crystal responds: “Wow, that’s really beautif– … wait, no that’s not, that’s tragic! You could have been with her!”. The idea being that Jack Palance (Curly) would rather have the MEMORY of this woman than the EXPERIENCE of her.

If I make a tweet, or a post a picture on Flickr, or Facebook something, that experience is “real” for me. I HAVE that experience, and I can go look it up if I need it later. But if all I have is the MEMORY of something, did it really happen? Is my memory of something more beautiful and poetic than the reality of it? Or are we just romanticizing our own forgetfulness? Do we prefer an ephemeral, rose-colored memory over the cold, honest truth? Do I need to actually find some kind of illegal drugs to even process this blog post?

I’m going to let my brain cool off now.

Truthfully I was thinking more about life away from work & conferences. Or even the gatherings at the C&A. If I’m tweeting the witty on-liners am I fully engaged in whats happening. If I’m checking my phone for tweets or texts am I fully present in the moment? If I put the phone down would I be having a better time, not that I didn’t have a good time. How would that affect my memory of that evening? I really love taking pictures (drives my friends nuts)and I’d really hate to put the camera down, but I can see that if I’m worried about getting a good shot maybe I’m not enjoying the view in that moment. I don’t know but I’m thinking on it.

Based on what you presented at IL2009, I’m not surprised to hear you making these points. And they are worth thinking about; it was clear that, during many of the sessions in Monterey, folks were just waiting for the “tweet worthy” comment. You could actually hear the crescendo of keyboards whenever something of interest was said! Toward the end of the conference I stopped even bringing my laptop to the sessions because I was starting to feel a little lifestreaming fatigue.

I think your observation about how these activities actually change our behavior are accurate, too. The Hawthorne Effect has been a well-known phenomenon in the social sciences for decades now and the way people are behaving at conferences is a good, contemporary example of that effect.