These holidays: Stop. Put the phone down. And actually make a memory.

Last weekend I went to a concert and the woman next to me watched the entire thing through her mobile phone.

Now, I’m not talking about taking a few shameless selfies with the crowd as a backdrop or zooming in to get a couple of close ups of the star. No. This lady held the camera phone in both hands, outstretched in front of her face and literally filmed song after song after song.

Surely the pure and unbridled joy of being in a stadium full of people, singing a tune you love, being performed by a star you’ve idolised, isn’t quite the same when you’re taking it all in on an 8cm wide screen?

We photograph things to preserve the moment; to take something away with us, carry it around and have for always. But new research from Fairfield University actually reveals there is a ‘photo impairment effect’. That is that taking too many pictures of something you wish to remember could actually have the opposite effect, causing you to ignore the little details and ultimately make that precious memory a forgettable one.

Now, I’m a shameless consumer of social media. I work on the internet, so it’s part of my day-to-day. But it’s also how I keep in touch with family and friends who are interstate and overseas. My phone is a lifeline, I get panicked when the battery is dying and I live for a wireless hotspot.

But.

I don’t want to live a life that is virtual, I want to live a life that is mine. One that happens here, in the real world, with real places and real people. And sometimes I worry that I don’t quite manage that.

So this holiday period, I’m going to be putting my phone down. I’ll use it during work hours, when I need to. But I’m going to make a conscious choice not to tweet my family’s Christmas lunch hilarity, check myself in on New Years’ Eve, or Instagram my beach holiday.

Maybe you’ll try it with me?