In the distant past we wrote letters (some of which would have arrived the same day!) We took photographs that required planning. Getting family members together, writing down who they were etc.
Then we got busy with mass production. We all too photos, the we still have. We still wrote letters, though. Latelry some were faxed (lot gone - it fades...)
Digital happened, and the number of photos went exponential. The staying power of each photo went in the opposite way. Only more so. Since the turn of the century precious little of what we have 'created' will be found in the back of a drawer. It just won't be found at all. Stuck as 0 and 1 on a storage device that fails the test of time, in a format that similarly cannot be read.
I marvel at photos of our town taken in the 50s. Quaint street signs, motor cars, clothing, civilisation.
I've taken photos like this over the last 20 years, but they won't be cherished in 50 years time because they will be lost.