People rely on photos as memory cues as a means to mitigate the cognitive limitations in encoding, storing, and retrieving experiences, & sometimes treat cameras as an external memory device, offloading their memories onto the camera

Henkel, L. A., Nash, R. A., & Paton, J. A. (2021). “Say cheese!”: How taking and viewing photos can shape memory and cognition. In S. M. Lane & P. Atchley (Eds.), Human capacity in the attention economy (pp. 103–133). American Psychological Association, Jun 2021. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000208-006

Abstract: This chapter explores attention economics in the context of how taking and viewing photos impacts memory and cognition. It explores the interplay between attention and memory in the context of taking and viewing photos. People rely on photos as memory cues as a means to mitigate the cognitive limitations in encoding, storing, and retrieving their experiences. The chapter discusses research that suggests that because of these limitations in attentional and cognitive resources, people sometimes treat cameras as an external memory device—in essence, offloading their memories onto the camera. It explores both the positive and negative consequences for memory of taking and viewing photos by outlining studies of what happens when we divide our attention between experiencing events and documenting them with a camera, and outlining studies on the attentional and memory demands created by the ensuing accumulation of photos.