Slideshows

We have just spent a questionably pleasant hour in the company of some friends (the friends being pleasant, the hour questionably so).

Three of the girls had just been on holiday to somewhere that is warm and hot in November. The name escapes me, but I am sure that it was not Skegness. Most of the resultant stories involved drinking copious amounts of sangria and staggering around. In short, they really enjoyed themselves. I have no problem with that; indeed, it was great to see them so enlivened after their trip. What annoyed me were the photographs.

There is something sordid about showing holiday snaps to a captive audience. It is like saying: "We were getting as pissed as fart beside a pool whilst you were all working your arses off. Ha ha ha." The three girls studied the photographs and chatted amongst themselves as the rest of the group politely studied them.

A few photos were passed around amongst the group: x and y pissed at the karaoke; y and z pissed by the pool; y on the toilet (I can only assume pissed as well as pi**ing). It was obvious that they were having a whale of a time, but pictures of a party lose a certain something - the heady fumes of alcohol, perhaps.

Then it got worse. I can cope with pictures being passed around showing a load of drunken women - stare at each one for the bare minimum of time and then pass them on to the next person, making sure you say something suitably erudite and incisive about at least one to show that you were paying attention. I am used to this; I can handle it.

Then a laptop was placed on the table, and I watched with horror as more photographs were shown. Another picture of y and z pissed at the pool; another picture of a tropical plant shot at a perfect skewed angle, as if sangria had allowed the photographer to create a perfect arty shot. More and more photographs were shown, each soon covering the same ground as earlier ones.

This is where the Internet comes in useful. It is simplicity itself to create an online web album, using Picassa or one of the many alternatives. Simple upload them, add captions and send them out to everyone who thinks they might be interested. They can then peruse as many or as few as they want.

For God's sake, let's end the hell of sharing photos in pubs.