It used to be that a camera, even a digital one, was a separate device that you had to buy and carry around with you on the right occasions. However, that is no longer strictly the case. With the advent of camera phones, it can be said that most anyone with a cell phone also owns a digital camera that they can use almost anytime they want. This means that if you happen to see something interesting that you want to share with others, you can do so on the fly almost instantly, which was not possible in previous years. Now, you can upload those photos to sites like Facebook or even send them to a friend through a text message right then. Since the start of their popularity in the early 21st century, the majority of cameras currently in use are in fact camera phones.
The very first public image taken on a camera phone dates back to 1997, when Philippe Kahn of Santa Cruz, California, took a picture of his newborn daughter in the maternity ward, and sent the picture to over 2,000 friends, family, and other people. The popularity of camera phones gradually climbed from there, and in 2003 there were officially more camera phones sold than regular, standalone digital cameras. There is little doubt that most anyone reading this has a camera phone already, and could even take a picture of this screen if they want to! They have changed the way we think of everyday photography and the way we share moments with others.