Digital Image Overload?

Snap, snap, snap. Every two minutes we take as many photos as were taken in the entire 19th century. Ten percent of all photographs ever taken were shot in a recent twelve-month period. That's the result of some careful calculations by the 1000 memories blog. Even if the startling statistic is off by a few million photos, it's still clear that the digital age – and the omnipresence of digital cameras and cell phones – has unleashed an unprecedented surge in picture taking and posting. Facebook, Instagram, Flickr…. Are we in the midst of a visual feast or a visual glut? Vicki Goldberg writes about art and photography for the New York Times and other publications. Her latest book is The White House: The President's Home in Photography and History.