1. A computer-implemented method comprising: receiving one or more settings of a mobile computing device that indicate when media data is to be captured by the mobile computing device; initiating capture of media data by the mobile computing device based on the one or more settings and one or more real-world conditions associated with the mobile computing device; transmitting the captured media data to a server computer system, the server computer system to perform one or more recognition processes on the captured media data and add the captured media data to a history of real-world experiences of a user of the mobile computing device when the one or more recognition processes find a match; transmitting a query of the user to the server computer system to initiate a search of the history of real-world experiences; and receiving results relevant to the query that include data indicative of the captured media data in the history of real-world experiences, wherein the one or more settings comprise initiation of media data capture by the mobile computing device when a current location of the mobile computing device is proximate to a popular location, wherein the location is a popular location when a number of other users that have captured media data at the location exceeds a threshold.