FILTERS

Just curious to know if anyone has thoughts on the rise of filters among iphoneography and phone photography and also the movement against using filters among the "purists"? I feel a little torn between the two things. On one hand, it seems like filters (hisptamatic, etc..) make almost all photos interesting or engaging, on the other, it seems the reason for this (at least for me) is how it makes photos instantly nostalgic, as if every moment suddenly has a significant history.
When I think of the reasons polaroid had such a following, it is for the same nostalgic reason. It was the way the film was unpredictable and added a certain importance. However, it was also the object you got, it seemed more cherished, or potentially so. If you took polaroids years ago and still own them, I assume you feel more attached to them than you do the hipstamatic photos that exist as digital bytes.
Anyway, I don't know why I care about this. Maybe it's because I just started using Instagram and I'm trying to understand the appeal and the point. As a photographer myself, it's always been strange to disengage from what was happening in front of me and hide behind a camera, especially in social situations, you have to find the line. But it seems more and more, whether attending a small social gathering or a large one, there is a lot of time spent behind a camera phone, looking to remember something as special, regardless of whether it actually is or not, this is the lie of the photo I suppose.
It could also be that I am slightly bitter. Suddenly everyone is a photographer, it's not just me being the annoying guy hiding behind the lens. Maybe I feel like those bitter musicians who spent there life playing guitar, then suddenly somebody just picks one up and starts a band. I don't want to be that, I want to be happy that anyone can play guitar