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In a recent issue of USA Today, Katrina Trinko (�09) questions the wisdom of the culture�s growing fascination with recording every moment of life � from the memorable to the mundane � via photos posted on social media. �Somewhere there is a line between photos taken because of a human longing to document our lives and photos taken to be used in our self-marketing,� writes Miss Trinko, a writer for National Review Online and a member of USA Today�s Board of Contributors. �We�re no longer taking photos to remember, but to refashion public perception.�

This phenomenon, she notes, is part of a broader, disconcerting tendency to view human interactions as impressions to be manipulated, rather than relationships to be nurtured:

�In the social-media era, we can all similarly manage our image, untagging the unflattering photos and uploading the ones that show us as we yearn to be perceived: sporty or artsy, or popular or fun or quirky, or possessing of any of our trait we desire. But while that�s smart branding, it hurts, not advances, true human connections � bonds built on vulnerability and honesty�.

�When we make the camera a constant presence, we make our lives a reality show, and ourselves no more than actors or politicians posing for the paparazzi. That is the way to experience a permanent photo-op, not a life.�

The is available via USA Today.