Comparing functions of and recollection with recently taken and recently deleted smartphone camera photos

Abstract The current study examined why people take and delete photos with smartphone cameras, and participants' recollective experiences with saved and deleted photos. Two mixed‐methods surveys asked undergraduates (Study 1) and an international online sample (Study 2) to review both recently taken and recently deleted photos from their smartphones' photo album or trash bin. Participants recollected the photographed events for both types of photos and rated the quality of their recollections. Events recollected with saved photos were remembered more vividly, positively, and emotionally intensely compared to recollection with deleted photos. Participants also gave short responses about why they originally took both types of photos, as well as why they had deleted the recently deleted photos. Consistent with prior work, different photo‐taking goals were associated with different recollective experiences, especially for photos taken as mementos compared to photos taken to offload information.