The use of social media channels like Instagram and Twitter to chronicle our daily lives is so common nowadays than it is, in fact, uncommon if you belong to that select group of people who do not buy into the whole social media “hype”. By not participating on social media, you are technically still unconsciously or unknowingly curating and creating memories, but through other people’s social media profiles. And a few weeks, months or years, you too can look back at these photos and videos like memories from yesteryears.

The SG Memory App, developed by the Singapore Memory Project (SMP), works like Instagram and is part of a nation-wide movement to capture and preserve the many stories on memories of Singapore history and culture. What does this mean for you? Simply put, Singapore is now counting on you to leverage on social media to preserve, curate and submit your memories to the Singapore Memory Project – easily and conveniently via your smartphones – to contribute to Singapore’s history.

So what is the Singapore Memory Project about? In a single, romantic sentence, it is about the stories we all have to tell. It is about the innocence of your childhood, the endearing stories of and from our parents, family and friends. It is also about unforgettable places and particular moments in our lives that we don’t want to forget with time. And this will become the collective story of a nation told through Singaporeans and everyone else who has spent time in our city state.

This is a is a nation-wide movement initiated by the National Library Board that aims to capture Singapore’s journey from a third-world country 50 years ago to the cosmopolitan hub bursting at its seams today. But they’re hoping to do this through the unique perspectives that each of us has, eventually building a constellation of narratives, which then come together to become a multi-faceted Singapore Story. The SMP currently involves 196 partners across various organisationsand 180 Memory Corps – volunteers who serve various roles such as helping individuals with difficulties documenting their memories to do so, and since its launch in August 2011, SMP has pledged and collected 1,000,000 contributions. Pretty cool, don’t you think?

So how does one get started? To submit your memories, create a personal memory account at Singapore Memory. Also, do check out irememberSG – SMP’s platform that allows you to discover, share and contribute your personal memories towards the growing body of all things local.

—

The SG Memory iOS Application available on the Apple App Store.

—

Note: Originally posted on Poached Mag