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Thanks for the interesting discussion last week! I definitely agree with the viewpoint that photographic memory is not adaptive. I can’t fathom a rational purpose for having this ability. Photographic memory presumably takes more effort for the brain to maintain and seems unreliable over time- maybe even more so than regular long-term memory. Storing a complete image of something is not as useful as say storing a template of something. We remember things in order to guide us through similar situations in the future. No two situations are completely the same down to every last detail. Depending on a photographic memory therefore may be an inconvenient way of life. Mentally storing a reference template takes up less brain energy and capacity. Mental templates or patterned expectations are applicable in an infinite number of situations as well, whereas a photographic image is only useful for exactly what is present in the image. In a way photographic memory is more of a “now” mechanism while more common types of memory and template storing are wholly “future” oriented.
 
Of course, this is even assuming photographic memory, the cultural phenomenon as we know it, even exists! I am still unsure if I believe that photographic memory is real. The small sample size of individuals who may even have this type of memory into adulthood makes photographic memory a dubious ability. Those individuals that claim to have photographic memory are almost always debunked as using some other type of mental mechanism. For example, the Russian journalist mentioned in the Slate article was known for having an unbelievable photographic/ borderline savant memory. However, we luckily found out that he was just really good at devising mnemonic devices. Phew! Overall, I think photographic memory does not exist as we, as a society, would like it to. Instead it is more of an unattainable ideal, that even if it does exist, we will not rest until we can blame it on other reasons in order to make the mythical perfection of photographic memory live on. Why ruin the magic?