People are too busy these days for the old social slide show. These days, we're forced to work even when we're at home on our days off. The ideas of being "on the clock" and "off the clock" are unfortunately things of the past. And you can forget about the single income family. So I wouldn't expect anyone to go to the expense or hassle of a true slide show or having a traditional picture album put together. It just costs too much time and money. Today, we use Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms to post our travels, and let others enjoy them at their own leisure. The basic idea remains the same, it's just been modified to reduce the expenditures of time and money. It may not be as intimate or socially engaging, but it's what we have time for in the modern world.
Every generation forms their new ideas and opinions that frighten and sadden the previous generations. Sometimes progress can be hard to adapt to, especially when we derived so much joy thinking about the past. But before anyone thinks to complain too much about it, remember, you did the same thing to the generations that preceded you, and they complained just as much about it, yet it all happened anyway. Progress is the natural order of things. Don't fight it. You won't win, and will cost you. Happiness only exists in the present. Living your life in the past will make you sad, just as living your life in the future will make you anxious. Yes I'd love to go back to a time when you could make a decent living through attitude and work ethic alone. Today, not even a bachelor's degree is enough. But time only travels in one direction, and the old ways don't work in the new world, so you either evolve or die off.
Back to the smaller picture, the printed photograph isn't going anywhere. It's actually doing a lot better now than it was 10 years ago. Look at all of the new films being introduced or reintroduced! The traditional printed photograph has been usurped in the vacation and family photos department. That's all digital now. And that makes the most sense. It's cheaper, easier to share, and can be endlessly duplicated without cost. But the traditional print is enjoying a strong resurgence in the fine art world. People like art that they can't do themselves. Everyone can snap a photo of a sunset and print it on their computer these days. Very few can do it the old fashioned way, and that process is growing in appreciation because of that. Just look at the boom in alternative processes that have taken off since the digital age began! How many wet plate collodion photographers did you know in the 70's? Probably less than the number today. If anything, people value printed photographs even more now that they aren't so common.
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