Yes, I was an adult before digital cameras were a thing. I have what feels like zero pictures of my life before about 1996. Comparing the two I will gladly take having a camera over not having a camera.

This is one of the quieter yet transformative changes I've seen tech bring to life - digital cameras removed the cost and hassle of film. Photography before the mid 90s was about deliberate choices of whether a shot was worth the actual cost of the film as well as being one of a couple dozen shots available to you without having to change film rolls. But now, whipping out 50-100 photos while out for the day is quick, easy, and almost free.

Consumption of the photos changed as well, but I'm going to let the idea of negatives, prints, and literal slide shows wait for another day. The point is that photography today is not the same as photography in the prior century.