A video (see below) also accompanies the article.
Michael Agger writes in the conclusion that sums up the article: "We'll see the best of things, we'll see the worst of things, we'll see everything."
Good and bad
He discusses the good aspects of camera phones by pointing out, as examples of their use in the London terrorist bombings and helping the police.
"Yet, despite the fun and occasional worthiness, the cell phone camera has launched a thousand jackasses," Agger says. Another problem is the loss of privacy.
A two-edged sword is sharing everything we do. He says, "When a van catches fire in front of our house, we and our neighbors are now out on the lawn recording.
"We e-mail this to our friends, who testify to the enormity of the event, and then we all await the next sensation. This impulse can be positive, but it also fuels the increasingly destructive American habit of oversharing."
Fostering aggressiveness
Camera phones have also made us more "aggressive" in situations where we are "insecure." If we see a celebrity with his children, we're more likely to take a photo to sell to Scoopt than to than ask if we could a photo posing with him.
"No wonder famous people don't want to hang out with us," Agger says.
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