Originally the term referred to special or emotionally touching moments captured in a photograph.  It was introduced as a adverting slogan for Eastman Kodak corporation,  maker of photographic cameras and film.  A chief contribution was its invention of the small film camera which made photographing easily accessible to everybody.   By the 1950s the company dominated its industry.

While Kodak was involved early in inventing and developing the digital, electronic camera which did not require film to print the photographs, the company chose to continue to push and rely on its tried and true products, with its massive distribution system, and ignored the developments of the digital camera.

Unfortunately, digital slowly but surely replaced film cameras, and the nail in the coffin for film cameras may have been the mobile phone with its capacity to shoot and view and show photographs almost instantaneously.

So Kodak placed its future on its old way of doing things and lost its position in the industry and recently filed for bankruptcy.  Its “moment” had passed and it failed to judge the future of its industry.

People now wonder if the fossil fuel companies which continue to expand exploring and extracting oil, despite the lowering costs and growing reliance on renewable energy, have met their Kodak Moment.

Some further ideas to explore on Kodak Moment:

What are the advantages of digital cameras over film camera?

What are the advantages of renewable energy over fossil fuel energy?

Which fossil fuel companies are hedging their bets on a continued reliance in the future on fossil fuels, and to what extent are they hedging those bets?

Sources:

“The rise and fall of Kodak’s moment,” Cambridge University (14 March 2012). bit.ly/3Mm3bjG

“Kodak moment,” The Free Dictionary by Farlex (2022).  bit.ly/3s9S1rn

“Eastman Kodak: 130 years of history – in pictures,” The Guardian (19 Jan 2012).  bit.ly/3QFhQZT

Bill Fischer, “There Are No ‘Kodak Moments’,” Forbes (4 July 2014). bit.ly/496Z4l8