Sharing vs. Just Being There
The act of capturing a moment with a phone or creating content, rather than simply absorbing the experience, triggers several cognitive and emotional processes in the brain that can alter our engagement with the present.
When you decide to record or document an event, your brain shifts from a predominantly experiential mode to a more analytical and creative mode. The prefrontal cortex, responsible for planning, decision-making, and attention control, becomes highly active. This area orchestrates the process of framing the shot, considering lighting, angles, and narrative—functions that require focused attention and cognitive effort. Instead of purely experiencing the moment as it unfolds, you engage in a mediated interaction, balancing observation with the creation or curation of content.
This shift can impact memory encoding. Research suggests that the act of taking photos or videos can lead to shallower processing of the experience itself, sometimes called the “photo-taking impairment effect.” The hippocampus, central to forming long-term memories, may not encode the sensory and emotional details as deeply because cognitive resources are diverted to managing the device and planning the content.
Simultaneously, the reward system, particularly the dopamine pathways, can be activated by anticipation of sharing content and receiving social validation, which modulates emotional responses during the event. This can heighten excitement but also introduce anxieties related to how the content will be perceived externally.
While capturing moments can enrich creativity and provide a means of expression, it can also fragment presence and reduce deep emotional immersion. Being mindful of this balance is key to integrating creative content-making into life without sacrificing the fullness of lived experience. Embracing awareness about these cognitive shifts allows for a more intentional and integrated approach to both presence and creation.
How can you stay in experiencing a moment, rather than switching to capturing it?
Allow yourself to fully inhabit the present by engaging your senses: feel the breeze on your skin, listen to ambient sounds, and notice colours or textures around you. Focus on your breath, grounding yourself in the here and now. Resist the impulse to reach for your phone; instead, immerse in the moment’s emotions and sensations. Practise mindfulness through gentle observation without judgment. Remind yourself that memories are richer and more authentic when experienced directly rather than through a screen. By letting go of the urge to document, you create space for genuine connection and a deeper appreciation that lingers long after the moment has passed.