In 2016, Every Day Is Picture Day

Gen Z and younger Millennials have been referred to as digital natives who grew up in front of screens, and the implications of that have been discussed ad nauseam. However, and more interesting, in my opinion, is the fact that this population has grown up in front of (and behind) the camera. This generation is like a group of child stars, surrounded by paparazzi in the form of their parents and peers. This unusual comfort being on camera has informed which products and apps get traction and which features resonate with users. Moreover, I believe it’s important to consider the implications of an entire generation that has such ease in front of and behind cameras.

For me, on the other hand, growing up in the ’90s and early ’00s, pictures were reserved almost exclusively for special occasions and distinct moments that were worthy of being captured. Quite simply, I could probably count on two hands the number of moments each year that were deemed picture-worthy—and that included school picture day.

With the rise of digital cameras, the cost of taking a photo and the marginal cost of each successive one decreased. A couple years ago, Benedict Evans wrote a great piece about this phenomenon and the subsequent virtual ubiquity of digital cameras that are part of the supercomputers that we carry around with us at all times. More recently, he wrote about this topic in…