This post from Intercom is a little older (although you may not know it since they do not include a date). Diana Kimball takes a lovely foray into examining the allure and the psychology behind apps that allow us to save stuff for later. It’s a slightly longer read, but a good one that can be summed up here:
Bookmarking tools nominally exist to help people return to where they left off — or, at least, to reassure themselves that they will.
Ha, well said! I feel the truth of this statement keenly. Something gets our attention, we use our clever little tools that give us a glowing notification that this items has been saved, we feel the rush of a chemical reaction and are free to move on with our day. Only later do we face the guilt of a stuffed save-it-for-later inbox and the good intentions of our earlier selves.
Kimball not only makes clever observations; she expresses them with flair. Whether describing the cause:
Because the urge to enrich the Database of Intentions is irresistible.
Or the flimsy future of any given bookmark:
To wish is to “feel or express a strong desire or hope for something that cannot or probably will not happen.” To bookmark is a tentative act, verging on fatalistic; there are no guarantees.
Make sure you actually read this one!
