Non digital images are very susceptible to destruction.

Digital images can be easily transmitted to hundreds of different saving sources in a moments time. Think about "back-up systems".

About 15 yrs ago I wanted to replace an aerial photo of our farm that had been hanging in view since day one. You may not notice it, but after time they can fade badly if not in the correct conditions. I wouldn't classify our home farmhouse with smoking occupants as "ideal", so it faded badly. On the back of the photo was the name of the company that provided them at the time. I'm quite sure they were based in Ohio. I called to see if I could buy a duplicate. I had the photo number from the backside of the print. Btw, this was an original photo print, not a reprint. 

The company representative apologized saying their warehouse had been destroyed in a fire a few years earlier and nothing survived from that era. So much for having them forever. Yes, I'm familiar with reconstructing old prints also.

Point is, anyone & everyone that accumulates digital photos should make sure they are backed up somewhere and make that source known to heirs. 

I often tell the story of my uncle that served in the Army in Korea during the Korean war. He took a lot of print photos and I scanned them in later years and put them in an online photo album. Years later I received an email from a gentleman living in New York that said he couldn't believe what he saw in a photo his son had found "online". It was this gentleman standing with a group with my uncle at their Army air base. I could tell he was in tears. He had no idea there were any photos of him and this was somewhat of a miracle. I told him I remember my uncle talking often about the soldiers, and him specifically, in that and other photos I had digitized. I made sure he saw the entire Korean photo album. His son emailed me thanking me for making his Dad's day. My uncle had passed away by the time his Korean war buddy saw the photos. I continued conversing with the gentleman for a few years after that. Sadly, he passed away also. 

Point is, digitized photos made it possible for this gentleman to relive his younger days. My uncle had the only print photos taken. How in the world would this have happened without digital stuff? Just make sure you put your digital photos in multiple accessible places, which is entirely impractical with prints.

That's my feeling. We try to scan everything, even if no one recognizes anyone in the photo. There is someone, somewhere, that knows more about the unrecognized photos.