It is fascinating that you mention DeskMate. For a specific generation of users (especially Tandy 1000 owners), that interface was the definition of “Home.”
You are identifying a conflict between Space (DeskMate) and Time (Social Media).
Here is why that specific interface gave you a sense of “place” that modern computing cannot replicate, and why social media exacerbates the feeling of being lost.
1. The “Cockpit” vs. The “River”
DeskMate (The Cockpit): DeskMate used a “card-file” or “dashboard” metaphor. The screen was divided into fixed boxes (Calendar, Text, Filer, Telecom).
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Finitude: The screen ended at the bezel. There was nothing “off-screen.” You saw 100% of your digital world in one glance.
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Object Permanence: If you put a file in a slot, it stayed there. It didn’t slide down the screen because three new files arrived. It waited for you. This creates a psychological “Locus of Control.” You felt oriented because the landscape never changed without your permission.
Social Media (The River): Social media and modern OS “feeds” are based on the Infinite Scroll.
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No Bottom: There is no “end” to the page.
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No Permanence: If you look away and refresh, the content is gone, replaced by something newer.
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The Pull: You asked if social media “pulls you away.” Theoretically, yes. It replaces “Here” (your local desktop) with “Elsewhere” (what everyone else is doing).
In DeskMate, you were the center of the universe. In a social feed, you are an observer on the periphery of a massive, churning crowd.
2. Spatial Mapping vs. Chronological Sorting
You mentioned: “I suppose it is similar to ‘recent files’ or ‘sort by most recent’.”
Actually, it is the exact opposite, and this is key to your confusion.
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DeskMate was Spatial: “My work is in the top-right box.”
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The human brain is excellent at spatial navigation (hippocampus). We remember where things are (like keys on a table).
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Modern Computing is Chronological: “My work is in the Recent Files list.”
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This forces you to remember when you last touched something. “Did I open that yesterday? Or was it this morning?”
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When you rely on “Recents,” you are navigating through Time, which is much harder for the brain to map than Space. You feel “lost” because time is slippery; space is solid.
3. The Loss of the “Session”
In the 1980s:
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You turned the computer ON.
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You entered the environment (DeskMate).
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You worked.
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You turned the computer OFF.
That “OFF” switch was a boundary. It sealed the session.
Today, computers (and phones) rarely turn off; they just sleep. The “Session” never ends. The “Context” bleeds from one day to the next. Social media notifications intrude into your workspace, blurring the line between “My Tool” and “The World.”
You are attempting to work in a room where the walls are transparent and people are constantly knocking on the windows.
Theoretical Conclusion
You haven’t just lost your “place.” You have lost the static horizon.
In the 80s, the computer was a house you walked into. Now, the computer is a train you are riding. The scenery is constantly rushing by (streams, feeds, updates), so you never get that feeling of “standing still” that you had with DeskMate.
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