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Comment by xp84 | Hacker News Reader

Trying to be as least cynical as possible, imagine if you were a party with 3 or more people, and you really wanted a nice pic like that to commemorate the night, but never got to take one all together because someone left early, and you were in the bathroom when they announced their departure.

Yes, it's a major first-world problem to not get a photo, but to the right person, it could mean a lot to them to "fix" the photo they took with A and B to add C to their 'rightful place.'

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and then as you look back at that wonderful night you "remember" with all your friends, you will reinforce a false picture and reality strays further

What's the point of having a photo like that?

Is spending time with your friends not enough in 2026? Do we must provide photographic evidence of all the fun you have been having or it did not happen?

Did you miss the last 15 years of social media?

So many people I just stopped spending time with altogether as instead of being present they’d be posing for their 90th instagram shot by 10am - and then of course they want you to pose, too.

So no. Spending time with your friends is not enough in 2026. I’m not even convinced people have friends now - just colleagues and mutual parasites.

I think it depends on who your friends are, and/or culture.

I was in France the other month and walking down to the river in Saumur, I noticed an area serving drinks (out of an old converted bus) with lights and suchlike (opposite the castle on the hill), with a small acoustic band. Nobody (and I mean nobody) had their phone out. The couple of hours I spent there, nobody was observable taking selfies. The age range was from young to old.

I was shocked. It was very different from the UK. Refreshingly so.

I was also recently in France, at a very similar affair - little fortnightly village fete, with a band and food and all that.

Most everyone over 40 or so, talking. Most everyone under 40, preening and posing. I saw so many people holding plates awkwardly in midair to get a picture of themselves, the food, the bunting etc. - to the extent that the organisers were having to ask people to move along so others could order.

Then again this was the Dordogne which may as well be Bognor at this point.

You’re mistaking your preferences for the majority’s preferences. Huge chunk of humanity now chooses to experience in-person events recording it through their phones.

Big difference between being at an event and recording it via your phone, and using ChatGPT to make an AI image of it. Images are not all the same.

In the first case presumably the person is focused on their phone/the photo instead of their friends, and in the 2nd it's the opposite (then making the photo after they're no longer with their friends). It could be said the latter is better?

No, because people talk to each other even when using their phones.

This is easily observable in literally any social situation.

This is such a contrived imaginary situation that is pretty divorced from reality. No one wants a fake AI photo to commemorate a real event.

5 years ago, after a work retreat, I photoshopped the couple of team members who couldn't attend into a team photo we took so that we could use the photo to represent our team.

This is just that, but without the hour of tedious photo editing (I'm not very good).

But still what's the point? To look back on false memories that didn't happen?

With this logic, what is the point to read a book about false events that did not happen? Can we please stop attacking everyone's version of fun or what makes them happy just because it isn't exactly what we like?

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