What do the world’s top downloaded apps have in common?
An emailed newsletter I receive focuses on visual items. Here’s their chart of “worldwide app downloads for iPhone, iPad and Google Play”:
They had a few warmup questions, but I focused on their last one –
What do 19 of the 20 most downloaded apps have in common?
The ANSWER? — photos and/or videos are essential to their success. Amazing!
They did the analysis, not me. But just for size perspective…look at this statistic. TikTok surpassed 3.5 billion all-time downloads in Q1. No app has had more downloads than TikTok since the start of 2018.
OK, I get it – a lot of it is for DIY, how-to’s, entertainment, info-sharing. But look how the communication is made – photos and/or videos. “A picture is worth a thousand words” is a quote attributed to various people, but generally associated with advertising (made popular in 1921, before video was a common option for folks).
It’s what pictures (photos or videos) do! They convey deep, heart-felt messages, tons of meaning and emotion, and evoke memories and related stories. I especially loved the phrase (and did a blog on this) that photos are “return tickets to a moment otherwise gone”. Return tickets – cool!
Which is exactly why this topic area of my website shares my belief that the heart is the deep well from which we draw our mental health – short & long-term. For many of us, our heart gets renewed and encouraged by our photos showing personal and family stories of blessings, hardships, and victories won. These “heart conditioning” times are truly outlook-shaping times.
I am drawn to biblical support for guarding what is in our heart – from Proverbs 4:20-23:
My son, pay attention to what I say;
turn your ear to my words.
Do not let them out of your sight,
keep them within your heart;
for they are life to those who find them
and health to one’s whole body.
Above all else, guard your heart,
For everything you do flows from it.
Long before photos & videos came hieroglyphics and cave drawings to tell stories and record history. But scripture also addresses the “remembering” of stories by the repeating of them through generations.
Remember Deuteronomy, chapter 6, where Moses is speaking to the Israelites as he is leading them to the Promised Land. He had just “declared the word of the Lord” to them in the Ten Commandments. He tells them what the Lord said about them, “Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!” There’s the “heart” again.
We find in Deuteronomy 6:20…. “In the future, when your son asks you, ‘What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the Lord our God has commanded you?’ tell him: ‘We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand….’” And He goes on to recite the details of how the Lord saved them and directed them so that if they are careful to obey, they will have personal relationship with Him in their daily lives.
Henry Blackaby captured this whole point well in his devotional. He said “we may forget God, but He remembers us. God was concerned because the people of Judah had allowed their hearts to drift far from Him….” His bottom line point? If you do not guard your heart, you will grow cold in your love for Christ.
This past week brought an illustration for me – one that is dear to my heart because I so love my 13-year-old grandson. He played flag football 2 years ago but skipped last year – he has always been a head shorter and many pounds lighter than his peers. It is still true today. But his coach called and asked if he would play this year – he signed up and has been playing.
Yes, MeMaw is there with her DSLR — and in reviewing a photo of his team lined up to shake hands at the end of the game, he is clearly 2-3 heads shorter than the line of players, many of whom look like (gulp) young men. Meanwhile, he could pass for a gradeschooler.
Nevertheless – he actually ran a touchdown play this last game. Yes, a handoff at one end of the field, flying through the opposing team who could not get a grasp on his flags, and scoring with teammates also chasing him to celebrate in the endzone. So exciting! And here is one photo I chose to share…..
Although I texted this and a few more to him, and he was thrilled, I won’t stop there. And I hope you won’t either. For that is really my message.
TikTok, What’sApp and even Facebook are not going to last – probably not even a decade. And one day, when he needs a boost in memory of character-building times, I want him to have access to this handful of photos.
I have created a holding album for him in my FOREVER permanent digital home that will last for generations. I own it – no renting of space; no one mines it for data or advertising. It is full-resolution and they will update the file formats so it is never obsolete. And yes, I will not probably be around but the FOREVER account has an account manager I have designated from my family, and they will designate others down the road.
Maybe you think I am just overly zealous about this. But for me it is personal because I know how important it is to have some of those memorable photos and videos and memories.
One of the most life-shaping activities for me was playing basketball in my junior and senior high years in a small West Texas town where girls’ basketball drew almost as big a crowd as the Friday night football. I have one “action” photo from those years – yep, the early 60’s. Thankfully, a local newspaper photographer captured it – and that newspaper article amazingly was saved through the years and is in my possession. I cannot begin to describe the emotions, memories, character points that all come to mind whenever I view it. What a treasure for me!
OK – you know my challenge! What are you doing with your treasured photos? What are you doing to prepare for preserving key heart-shaping photos and videos of your kids and grandkids? And yes, there is an App – the FOREVER app – for your phone! Wow.
I’m here for you – I’m just a bit further down the road and happy to share whatever helps you capture and preserve those special memories!
