Why Take a Screenshot and Never Look at It Again
We know that your phone is filled with screenshots you've never looked at again, and your Instagram account is brimming with posts you've saved and never remembered. Recipes, beauty secrets, places to visit, photo-taking tricks... Posts that seem very logical at the moment are sent to the 'saved' tab, never to be looked at again.
So why do we keep taking these screenshots that we never look at again?
According to psychologists, the reason is the fear of forgetting things.
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In the past, everyone had a different collection. Now, our collections are on our phones.
Many people have hundreds, even thousands of screenshots on their phones. These may include recipes you've never cooked, books you've never read, vacation spots you've never visited, exercise routines you've never tried, or inspiring quotes you barely remember saving.
At the time of taking that screenshot, it felt extremely important, and you were certain you would revisit it. However, it turns out that you never opened that screenshot again. In fact, a few hours later, you forgot that you had seen and saved it.
The same scenario applies to the 'saved' sections of Instagram and X.
Rest assured, you're not alone. Thousands of people, just like you, save things they like while browsing on Instagram and X, and never look back at them.
Psychologists have listed the reasons behind this behavior.
We take screenshots due to the fear of forgetting.
Screenshots or recorded content serve as a handy tool to combat the likelihood of forgetfulness. Throughout the day, it's simply not feasible to retain every useful idea, intriguing suggestion, or significant piece of information that we encounter. (After all, how many hours a day do we spend on our phones?) Taking a screenshot instills an immediate sense of security. Once the information is saved, we no longer have to solely rely on our memory.
Psychologists refer to this as reducing cognitive load; that is, using external tools like notebooks, calendars, smartphones, or computers to lighten the burden on our memory... Studies have shown that once information is externally stored, people feel less need to remember it themselves. So, even if we never revisit that screenshot, it provides us with immediate relief.
It reveals the person we secretly aspire to be.
The screenshots we take can actually serve as a mirror reflecting the person we aspire to be. A saved recipe signifies the kind of person you could become when you have more time to devote to cooking. A saved workout plan mirrors your future intentions regarding your health. A screenshot of a beautifully arranged home could symbolize your longing for a more peaceful and orderly life.
In essence, the posts we save are tied to our dreams for the future. Research on the continuity of self over time suggests that people regularly make decisions in the present based on their envisioned future selves. Saving screenshots could be a daily manifestation of this tendency.
From this perspective, screenshots could be seen as small investments in an imagined future.
"Just in case."
Another reason for taking screenshots is the psychological comfort it provides. Knowing something is recorded imparts a sense of preparedness, creating a soothing effect. Even if we never use the information, storing it can alleviate the fear of losing something valuable. This behavior may also reflect our reaction to uncertainty. When we can't predict what information will be useful in the future, storing this information can provide a reassuring sense of preparedness.
However, the more screenshots you take, the more cluttered you may feel.
A phone filled with thousands of screenshots can increasingly complicate the task of finding a single image. What begins as a recall strategy can eventually morph into digital chaos.
The reason people struggle to delete these screenshots is that they psychologically become linked with intentions or future plans. Deleting them can feel more like giving up on possibilities than simply removing images from a phone. (In other words, a screenshot of a language course is not just a language course. It represents a goal you have.)
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