If I could make a new year’s resolution for everyone in the English–speaking world, it would be that we all agree never to use the phrase ‘making memories’ again, or to think about life in terms of making memories, let alone post a photo with the hashtag #makingmemories.

All of a sudden, all across the internet, it seems to me, merchandise has sprung up encouraging us to think of life as a ‘memory–making’ project: frames, filters and albums designed to capture and enhance every breathing moment.