This isn't something a lot of people consider, but if your memories were captured and "saved" in the form of physical photographs, slides or VHS, it unfortunately does not mean they will last forever.

Here’s the important thing to remember: any media that is “analog” or “physical” - meaning you can actually hold the media in your hand (such as a VHS tape, a printed photograph, film slides, etc.) is going to degrade over time.

Yes, you heard that right and it’s not an old wives tale (anyone remember their mom yelling, “The more you play with that, the faster it’s gonna break!”) That’s actually true when you’re playing a song on an analog piece of media like a CD or record.

We’ll say this again because it’s worth repeating:

All physical media degrades over time. The more it’s played, the more it degrades. And here’s the other thing: even if you aren’t playing, watching, or listening to it, it will still degrade over time.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of this article to find out more about how you can “solve” this problem of endangered memories!