I grew up with a phone in my hand and an endless camera roll, but still find myself clinging to photo booth strips and handwritten notes. I always preferred the act of collecting over the collection itself, only to realize I was recording everything while retaining nothing.

Today, as a second-year Computer Science student at the University of Waterloo, I research how AI shapes the way we think, connect, and remember. That work has revealed just how easily we hand over history to systems we don't fully understand.

At the same time, growing up alongside these rapid changes taught me that modern technology is fundamentally designed to break. This instability creates an ironic paradox where our generation documents everything, yet risks leaving behind a completely blank archive.

It’s time we shift our focus from digital hoarding to prioritize genuine lived experiences, and ultimately redefine what it means to be remembered.