Living in the Moment and Wanting to Keep It - Two Things Can Be True At The Same Time!
After the Christmas lights went on along London’s world famous Carnaby Street on November 4, 2026, a screenshot circulated online showing a crowd with phones held high. Some people wondered whether the image was AI generated, but after checking several respected sources, it appears to be a true representation of what happened. Others saw all those glowing screens and asked a familiar question, “Whatever happened to living in the moment?”
A screenshot can show how many phones were in the air at one instant. A longer video can show what happened before and after. Maybe someone recorded the countdown and slipped their phone back into their pocket. Maybe someone filmed the lights coming on so they could share it with a person who couldn’t be there. From a single frame, those two people would look exactly the same. The full video gives us a better sense of what it was like to be there for the whole event. We can see people watching the lights come on, reacting with those around them, and lifting their phones to record parts of the show. A single screenshot catches the instant those phones are in the air. The longer video shows how there is much more to this celebration, and how filming can fit into the experience of being at Carnaby street during this event. You can enjoy the show as it happens and still want to save a few seconds to relive it later. Again, two things can be true.
What A Concert Crowd Can Teach Us
We wrote about a similar scene in our 2025 article, “Youth and Teens Are Not Missing the Moment - They’re Capturing It” (1). At concerts and other live events we’ve attended, we’ve seen people lift their phones for a favourite song, a game winning goal, or a fireworks finale, then put them away. A photo taken during that one song could make it look as though everyone had been filming all night.
There’s also a reason a young person might reach for their phone at that particular moment. A few seconds of a favourite song can bring back the sound of the crowd singing along. Sending the clip to a friend can be a way of saying, “I wish you’d been here.” When we ask our kids what made them want to record something, we give them a chance to tell us what mattered to them.
The Family Videos We’re Glad Someone Took
When we think back to our own childhood, I’m grateful that our parents and grandparents took so much video. Watching those recordings now is nostalgic. Sometimes it’s the smallest things we are glad someone captured, like the sound of a familiar voice or the laughter coming from just outside the frame.
A few years ago, we were in San Diego for the Fourth of July. The fireworks were spectacular, and we filmed some of the show, and we still go back and watch those clips. Hearing the crowd and seeing the sky light up again brings back a feeling we have trouble putting into words. I’m glad we were there, and I’m glad we pressed record.
It’s easy to look back fondly on outings before everyone carried a camera in their pocket. It’s also worth remembering how much we treasure the videos our families made when someone had to bring a camcorder along. The phone makes it easier to record, but the impulse to keep a little piece of a good day is familiar.
What We Can Model For Our Kids
Parents and caregivers know how it feels to look over during something we were excited to share and find our child absorbed in their phone. Our kids probably know the feeling, too. They see us check a message at dinner or fiddle with the camera when they’re ready for us to watch.
At your next concert, fireworks show, or holiday outing, try choosing one part you’d love to keep. Film a few bursts, then put the phone away and watch the finale together. When you replay the clip later, ask what everyone remembers that the camera missed. Your child might tell you how the first boom felt in their chest or how hard their little brother laughed when it startled him.
Two things can be true at the same time. We can be swept up in a moment and still want something to remember it by. The next time our kids pull out a phone to capture something, we might catch ourselves wondering, “Why can’t they just enjoy the moment?” That’s a chance to get curious and ask, “What did you want to remember about that?” Their answer might tell us something we couldn’t see from where we stood.
Digital Food For Thought
The White Hatter
Facts Not Fear, Facts Not Emotions, Enlighten Not Frighten, Know Tech Not No Tech
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