DEL.ICIO.US Bookmarking 'Soulmate'

In 1968, James Taylor debuted "Something in the Way She Moves"-- arguably one of the most beloved folk songs in American history. The sound alone is an ode to the era: a seductive melody politely underscores the entirety of love's mid-century revolution. There was something in the way love physically moved, in the way people danced/made art/made music that inspired a peaceful prerogative. "Social movements" were made of just that, moving bodies.

Now, exactly forty years later, I'm sitting across from my computer screen--staring into a portal of digital 'bodies'--feeling moved (or, like, whatever) by an invisible person's "bookmarking" tendancies. Ah yes, how times have changed...something tells me "The Way She Bookmarks" would not emerge a chart-topper. But despite technology's distraction from physical exertion (doing stuff is so passé), the web does provide a type of revolutionary moving: movement by way of linking.

Sites like del.icio.us and Diigo.com have introduced a world of interactive, online media storage. They host an infinitely dynamic community of what are known as 'social bookmarkers'...otherwise known as researchers, journalists, students, teachers, marketers, business owners, pizza delivery guys, porno stars, housewives, housedads, 43 year-old garage banders still living the dream and in the garage...a community otherwise known as regular ol' people. Statement-making and movement-starting are something one can do via "click-click"; the harmonizing abilities of James' Taylor no longer a necessary prerequisite for pop-culture canonization. One can gain a following just by how one "likes". Relationship, one might say, is now brought to you by Window shopping (pun intended).


...So, who is my window shopping/social bookmarking "soulmate"?

Her username: annaviary. Her taste in text: superb. I knew it was love when I came across her impecable use of the term "douche hat" in a posted commentary on Chris Matthews. I mean who doesn't appreciate a little honesty?...or the vernacular versatility of "douche"?

"Annaviary" has over three thousand tagged items. The bookmarks are then grouped, or "bundled", under the following broader categories: abortion/repro.rights, culture, health, law&politics, location (geographical), and work/family. The greater groupings, while not particular to gender in title, roof a multitude of articles, blogs, and sites focusing (for the most part) on gender and gender roles in local and international media. She has specific tags for academic 'research' and 'essays'; her bookmarking "eye" is trained to seek a wide spectrum of sources but puts a strong emphasis on scholarly material, which I like. When studying gender, it is necessary to include material written by the school of thought itself in addition to material produced by the great culture, material which indirectly affects analysis. In the same way that I strive for a multidimensional perspective on my research, annaviary's resources are dynamic without losing focus. Under the "culture" bundle, she has tags that include girl.culture, dude.culture, profilemedia, dating, porn, faux.feminism, body.image, women.writers, gender, gender.roles, masculinity, femininity, anti-feminism, video.games, censorship, advertising, media, stalking, divorce, and sextoys. As they are with me, both "technology" and "relationship" are narrowed within annaviary's greater scheme of gender-perusing.

Like I mentioned earlier, I was initially drawn to annaviary through her commentary . An example of her more, em, astute quotes (not that "douche hat" isn't astute, just...brief) comes from an article entitled, "Slut is not a four letter word". Annaviary writes, "Even the coolest chicks on TV have, if anything, been too busy being, you know, Strong Female Characters—chatty single moms, super-spies, angsty students, neurotic lawyers, mega-bitches—to get too down and dirty. Until now." The article's tags include tv, sex, and pop.culture. Maybe it's because she smart and sassy. Maybe it's because she writes like I do. Maybe it's because she has a deep and well-organized rolodex of gender research and gender news sources. Whatever it is, I'm pleasantly surprised by the affection and respect I have for someone I've never met, by this kindred feeling I've developed for someone by simply snooping around their cyber bookshelf. Yup, I'm moved.