My family continuously mocks me for having an endless number of tabs open on my computer at any given time. Once, feeling particularly playful (or malicious, depending on if you asked me or them), my sister and dad closed half of my tabs arbitrarily. I actually cried. When they asked me why I was so upset, I couldn't figure out how to word my emotions, but it felt so wrong.
Today, I had an epiphany about why I felt that way. Computers are entrenched in our lives, mostly enriching them and giving us new tools to do great things. When computers were first envisioned, they were just a screen with words. The concept of "Windows" with multiple views was a groundbreaking one, and no none of us can imagine any other way of doing it. What made the Windows concept so game-changing was that it made computers more understandable and accessible to the non-nerd. It virtualized the physical world (why do you think it's called 'windows' and 'desktop'?!). But, the virtualizaiton was not entirely complete. In some way the abstraction is good, because it allows us to think beyond the confines of physical space that prevent us from using the full capabilities of our digital devices. However, there are places where the virtualization falls short - like in the concept of tabs.
If you think about it, bookmarks on our browsers are about the closest we get to real-life post-it notes, book marks, and organized piles to control our resources and information. Pinterest is on the right track of what I think we need more of - a way to keep track of things outside without acting on them immediately. I cannot be the only one who uses my inbox as a to-do list, leaving messages unread until I can address them (side note: can't wait to get provisioned for the Mailbox app!). This is the same idea as saving tabs. Unless I "bookmark" or favorite every page I hope to return to later or need a reminder to act on, I lose it semi-permanently if I close it. I can't physically put the page on top of others as I would on a real-life desk. Let's be honest - once it's "bookmarked" it's likely just left in that folder to get dusty and remain unvisited. Some pages can be revived or rediscovered using Google - provided you did not have to go digging for it in the first place and know very important identifying key words. But lots of times, the tabs are personal and would not show up in a universal search engine result set. I use tabs as stars, highlights, and dog-ears to make sure that I don't lose track of the pertinent information in an age where we are saturated with information, references, and sensory overload.
How do we solve this problem? I don't know. I don't believe in the entire digitization of all physical things, but, as I mentioned above, Pinterest is on the right track. In real-life, I would rip out a magazine article I liked or keep everyone's phone numbers and addresses together in such a manner that I would know where to look. There has to be a happy medium between the elegant organization of physical spaces and the incredibly robust usefulness of a "Ctrl+F" search function.
Sounds like it's time for a brainstorm. I love this sort of problem!
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