Instagram has a Recall Problem
Today, Instagram dropped the fantastic news that users can share up to 10 photos and videos in a single post. But I can’t help but think this is going to exacerbate the one problem Instagram has — the ability to recall your old photos.
If you ask people why photos are important, one of the biggest reasons is the way they preserve memories. Photography helps us remember places, times, and people.
The new update is going to make the app more functional for posting photos of a vacation, concert, or birthday party. But ever since Instagram got rid of photo maps last year, all of our old photos are buried under a continually growing feed. Sure social media is about sharing and engaging, but shouldn’t social media photos and videos also be a way to bring back memories?
Unfortunately I don’t think the situation is going to improve. Instagram won’t apply the Facebook feature of “This day X years ago” because Instagram isn’t designed to repost our old content. And it shouldn’t be. I do wish the map or some kind of event/moment recall could help me dig up my old NYC photos though.
