I think at the inception of cameras, humanity knew how dangerous they would be. A camera doest just capture, a camera shoots. Many people's first instinct at the sign of anything out of the ordinary is to bring out their cameras and shoot. I struggle to decide whether or not phone cameras democratize surveillance or just add to the pressure. I think back to when I was on the subway alone, late at night, and a scene began to arise between the cops and a man who was wandering between cars. I was fixated on the action that was happening in front of me. Then, I realized that the other 3 people in the car had their phones out and were filming the interaction. I wonder why they were filming. I wonder where the footage went, I couldn't help picturing the video on an instagram story- or sitting in google photos. I wonder where they intended the footage to go and what drove them to start shooting. André Bazin describes this instinct as an innate human need, dating back to ancient Egypt where bodies were mummified, ensuring that they were not erased from reality when their bodies began to decompose. Could it be that pulling out the camera is meant to save the moment, save reality from its spiritual death? Bazin states that this is, “the preservation of life by a representation of life.” Now, almost everyone has these tools for preservation in our pockets.