Associating information with places using bits has certain advantages over using atoms. Sometimes the atoms may be expensive, but the bits can be cheap.
Bits are easy to replicate and easy to put in multiple places.
Bits can be easier to change than atoms. Bits do not. Furthermore, sometimes atoms are in a place but can't be seen when we would like to see them, such as wires or pipes in walls. Placing the information in those places with bits can provide new ways to view and interact with hidden atoms. Furthermore, associating information with places has certain advantages over simply putting the bits in a standard computer file system indexed by name, hierarchy, or content.