FILOFAX

The strongest case for the emergence of that social need came from a device that was not even electronic: the Filofax personal paper organizer. The Filofax consisted of a six-ring loose-leaf binder, often covered in expensive leather, which contained pages for a calendar, maps, addresses, and other data customizable by its user. It had been invented in the early twentieth century, but it suddenly became a must-have accessory in the 1980s, around the time when the news media took note of the “young urban professional” phenomenon.16 The Filofax was a British product, and its main competitor in the United States was the more prosaic Day-Timer, which had a similar following. In 1985, social critic Ed Tenner observed, “Americans will buy $300 million worth of datebooks this

Ceruzzi, Paul E.. GPS (The MIT Press Essential Knowledge series) . MIT Press. Kindle Edition.

organizer. The Filofax consisted of a six-ring loose-leaf binder, often covered in expensive leather, which contained pages for a calendar, maps, addresses, and other data customizable by its user. It had been invented in the early twentieth century, but it suddenly became a must-have accessory in the 1980s, around the time when the news media took note of the “young urban professional” phenomenon.16 The Filofax was a British product, and its main competitor in the United States was the more prosaic Day-Timer, which had a similar following. In 1985, social critic Ed Tenner observed, “Americans will buy $300 million worth of datebooks this year.”17 He noted the availability of “more than 400” inserts, including specialized maps, “species checklists for birdwatchers … golf scores, and horses’ stud records.” The parallels with the apps now available on a smartphone are obvious. Like the phones, people became obsessed with them.18 Tenner observed the obvious: people carried lists of Parisian five-star hotels and restaurants in their organizer whether they could afford to visit them or not. They enjoyed the psychological high of knowing that all of this information was in their hands. Among the inserts one could buy were maps of the major cities of the world, with accompanying restaurant guides, airline information, and other travel data. That foreshadowed the day when social sites like Yelp integrated satellite positioning and mapping software with reviews of businesses, especially restaurants. By the end of the 1990s, the Filofax fad peaked.

Ceruzzi, Paul E.. GPS (The MIT Press Essential Knowledge series) . MIT Press. Kindle Edition.