Everyone has a camera, but WHERE will these images be in 5 years time?

Happy new year.

Interesting issue that you have brought up here on where images will end up decades after they were produced. My take is this. These memories will be around for at least two generations, perhaps up to three. Beyond that, the future generation will most likely not care how their forefathers would look like, or those beyond that. Now, that brings us to the next question. Storage. We may be able to 'preserve" these images by printing them out for safekeeping. These images are then passed on down to our children or grandchildren, and our grandchildren may show them to our great-grandchildren. Where does it end? Will there be an archive to demonstrate the family tree to the future generations?

Personally I feel most of these memories will be lost at some point of time. They may be around for a while, but as mentioned earlier the future generations in the 23rd or 24th century will probably not care how their forefathers would look like. Not to say the images will be lost. They may still be around, still in good condition colored papers where they are printed on, or in jpegs stores in hard drives in several backups. It's just that most wouldn't care about these images anymore. People will only cherish their loved ones, people whom they have interacted with, loved for and cared for. As such, the images of these people will be retained for a while.

As for the format of storage, whether images should be printed out or kept in hard drives or a bit of both, that will be dependent on the preference of the individiual himself. Do keep in mind that not everyone who doesn't print out images on paper does not care about the images. Well, that if the images are worth keeping, not some random shots of a plate of pasta or hamburgers and fries they are having for lunch. Yes, images on hard drives or notebooks can get stolen, corrupted etc. Back-ups will prevent these from happening, and most people usually do back-ups for important files that they cherish, not only images but hi-rez music files as well. Printed images on paper have their own sets of disadvantages as well. Due to their physical form depending on how much images are printed on paper, these will take up space or storage. Storage that takes up less space is mostly preferred. Also, printed images can get lost or stolen too. In the event of a fire, these will go up in smokes faster than images stored on physical drives.