we have given them a place of prominence and it is distorting our experience.
'Distoring our experience' describes something that has been nagging me about my online activity; my focus/energy/connection is often with something that is absent. We are systematically deadening our own senses via various media, all taking us farther from knowing what we truly feel or think. We look to external sources, instead of internal. Photographs could draw us away from a true memory, perhaps give the event a whole new story. I think you're right that memories we produce ourselves, without external aid, are the truer memories. I blather on here because I can't find the words to say the very same thing you said in this post!
I've been trying to go electronics free for a few hours of my non-sleep hours. Turn off the wifi and phones. No electronics of any kind. I start jonesing. It's very hard to do! But I definitely experience fuller states of relaxation and enjoyment.