Sharing and caring.

• Author: Alexander, Douglas
• Position: Photograph sharing in the Internet

IF A TREE FALLS in the woods and no one takes a picture, did it really happen? Let's face it, these days, that probably is a moot question. With all the cameras out there, it is hard to imagine a tree falling in the woods, forest, or anywhere else for that matter, without being photographed, posted online, and shared immediately. Just to illustrate that point, I did a photo search on Flickr using the words "tree," "fell" and "woods." I got some 46,000 results. When I did the same search using forest instead of woods, I received 64,000 pictures. Think about it: that is more than 100,000 images showing trees falling in remote places, and that is on just one site. That is why there is a new saying being tossed around: POIDH (Pictures, Or It Didn't Happen).

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Because usually when it does happen--whether it is a tree falling, a parade down Main Street, or baby's first steps--there almost always is a photo or video. When was the last time you attended a party that was not memorialized with pictures and videos? They might be professional quality photos or just be grainy shots taken with an old-model flip phone, but digital images are captured in some way. There is no denying it: we am a world of picture takers.

One of the most likely reasons photo sharing has become so prevalent is that, today, people am prepared to take a photo at the drop of a hat. Whether we are toting fancy digital SLRs (single lens reflex camera) with interchangeable lenses, or snapping photos with iPhones, research indicates that almost all of us own cameras of one kind or another. At least one person in 81% of U.S. households owns a digital camera, according to PMA Marketing Research--and that does not include analog cameras. Additionally, some 93% of American adults own cell phones, the Pew Internet & American Life Project has found, and many of those cell phones come equipped with cameras.

Our urge to communicate via images has been with us since early humans figured out how to draw on cave walls. Capture an image and it lasts forever---or at least a very long time. Now, of course, sharing has gotten much easier, thanks to technology. Remember the days when you had to bring in your film to be developed and then wait for what seemed like agonizing days to find out if you even got a good shot? Forget that. Today, pictures are uploaded directly onto computers and then sent to photo-sharing sites. Moreover, with cell phone technology, we sometimes can...