Some places stay with you.
Save the café you keep walking past, or somewhere a friend mentioned.
After five weeks in Japan, I had photos, but I felt like I’d forgotten something important.
That’s why I made Placefold: somewhere to keep a thought while it’s still fresh.
A little research behind the idea
Photography can change how we experience a moment. Research suggests it can increase enjoyment when it draws us in, and shift what we remember toward what we see. Taking photos with an audience in mind can also make the experience less enjoyable.
These findings resonate with the idea behind Placefold: a private space to keep what caught your attention, with room for a thought alongside the photo.
- How taking photos increases enjoyment of experiencesDiehl, Zauberman & Barasch · 2016
Taking photos can increase enjoyment when it increases engagement. The benefit can disappear when photography interferes with the experience.
- Photographic MemoryBarasch, Diehl, Silverman & Zauberman · 2017 · PDF
Choosing what to photograph improved visual recognition but reduced memory for what participants heard—a shift in attention, rather than a benefit to every kind of memory.
- How the Intention to Share Can Undermine EnjoymentBarasch, Zauberman & Diehl · 2018
Taking photos to share reduced enjoyment compared with taking them for oneself, partly through concerns about others’ impressions. The effect varied with the audience and the person.
These studies explored photography and experience; they did not test Placefold.
