Ask HN: How do you document your life and preserve memories in the internet age?

#1

Post by owlsaway » Sun, Apr 22, 2018, 3:39 PM UTC

Prior to advancements in digital technology, documenting your life involved developing photos, scrapbooking, holding onto keepsakes/souvenirs from specific times/events, or just abstaining entirely to focus more on the experience itself. Nowadays, though, the tools used to do this have shifted more towards social media platforms.

With recent controversies around the power held by tech companies, I've been thinking more about this shift. By posting pictures and by making posts about my experiences to preserve them and share them with my friends, I feel like I'm giving up ownership of those memories to whoever is hosting that platform, be it Facebook, Instagram, Google, etc.

I'm not sure whether that's a big enough deal to decide to stop posting entirely. I'm also not sure of any alternatives that may exist. Every time I get an urge to share something fun or exciting that has happened in my life, I second guess myself, because I haven't figured out where I stand on the privacy vs. convenience discussion.

What are your thoughts?

Re: Ask HN: How do you document your life and preserve memories in the internet age?

#2

Post by p0d » Sun, Apr 22, 2018, 5:28 PM UTC

I use an offline WordPress server to blog about my thoughts and experiences. Offline meaning the server is only available on my home network.

I have often thought I would like a tool that would convert my WordPress content into a book. The book would be for my wife and children when I move on.

There is definitely a freedom in blogging for yourself and your immediate family. I just need to resolve the issue of a less technical format of my musings for my family.

Re: Ask HN: How do you document your life and preserve memories in the internet age?

#3

Post by edpichler » Sun, Apr 22, 2018, 7:46 PM UTC

Man, I am on weeks thinking on the same problem you wrote here.

I am tired of uploading my content on sites like Facebook, or Google. Short story: once I uploaded a personal video on Youtube, and they removed forever because there was a ACDC music on the environment. It was precious, and I lost it forever (forgot to do backup).

I am thinking on buying a domain to me, and create a blog to share albums just with people I want, create a newsletter for some topics, and keep my memories and all my data on my servers (and my backups, online and offline).

Social networks would be used just to promote some link or content I want to share.

I sow some interesting things on https://indieweb.org/

Re: Ask HN: How do you document your life and preserve memories in the internet age?

#4

Post by kleer001 » Sun, Apr 22, 2018, 9:02 PM UTC

Poorly. I used to use Flickr, then I tried to curate my own subjects and periodically print out books. But in the end I just take pictures, video, and audio, and dump it in my computer hoping one day my future self will sort it out.

I wish it were dealt with more auto-magically (and interchangeably) on the Os level.

But in the end I don't really care too much. Life is for living and communing with loved ones, not documenting. Still, I post frequently, careless of who "owns" it. I kinda fail to see how it can have value, all those pictures, even in aggregate. It just seems like noise.

Re: Ask HN: How do you document your life and preserve memories in the internet age?

#5

Post by ApolloRising » Mon, Apr 23, 2018, 4:49 AM UTC

Strangely enough a friend of mine uses scrapbooking. It is very old school and manual but she gets a lot of enjoyment out of it. It is something she wants to leave her children when she is gone.

Re: Ask HN: How do you document your life and preserve memories in the internet age?

#6

Post by tudelo » Mon, Apr 23, 2018, 1:50 PM UTC

I don't. I never really take pictures and find it annoying when others decide that they need a picture during any (extremely slightly) noteworthy moment. Of course, some evens should be captured but thankfully everyone in the world thinks they should take a picture during those times so there really is no reason for me to.

Re: Ask HN: How do you document your life and preserve memories in the internet age?

#7

Post by psyc » Mon, Apr 23, 2018, 4:24 PM UTC

edpichler wrote: post #3

Man, I am on weeks thinking on the same problem you wrote here. I am tired of uploading my content on sites like Facebook, or Google. Short story: once I uploaded a personal video on Youtube, and they removed forever because there was a ACDC music on the environment. It was precious, and I lost it forever (forgot to do backup). I am thinking on buying a domain to me, and create a blog to share albums just with people…

YouTube deleted my entire channel because one video had music in the background. No reinstatement, it's just gone. Then they deleted another of my channels, and that whole Google account, and gave no reason - and I can't think of any.

Re: Ask HN: How do you document your life and preserve memories in the internet age?

#8

Post by Ana_TestRise » Tue, Apr 24, 2018, 2:12 PM UTC

I remember what my friend's sister shared with me a few months ago. She put all her adventure and travel into a blog so that the time when she becomes a grandma, she could just share the blog with her grandchildren to tell them her life stories.

This is what I think also about documenting my life.

Re: Ask HN: How do you document your life and preserve memories in the internet age?

#9

Post by sp527 » Wed, Apr 25, 2018, 2:16 AM UTC

Once you stop caring what people think about you, the only thing you need is an iCloud backup subscription.