Tracing the exact genesis of is difficult due to the anonymous nature of many curatorial accounts. However, digital ethnographers point to the early 2020s as the period when "aesthetic archiving" became a mainstream hobby. As platforms like Pinterest and Tumblr declined in active daily sharing, Instagram and Twitter became the new repositories for "mood boards."

From the back of the room, Leo smiled. He hadn't done it for recognition. He had done it because that’s just what you do.