Serial visual presentations of images exist both in the laboratory and increasingly on virtual platforms such as social media feeds. However, the way we interact with information differs between these, such that in many laboratory experiments participants view stimuli passively, whereas on social media people tend to interact with information actively. This difference could influence the way information is remembered, which carries important practical and theoretical implications. In the current study, 821 participants saw streams of seven landscape images that were presented at either a self-paced (active) or automatic (passive) rate. Critically, the presentation speed in automatic trials was matched to participants’ self-paced trial speed. Both memory accuracy and memory confidence were greater on self-paced compared to automatic trials. These results indicate that active, self-paced progression through images increases the likelihood of them being remembered, relative to when participants have no control over presentation speed and duration.