“Our normal human tendencies are distraction and dissipation. Too often, we begin one task, then get seduced by some other option, and lose our focus.” – Daniel Pinchbeck
Recently, I have become both intrigued and fascinated with Pinterest. Their growth over the past months has been nothing short of extraordinary. The on-line world has been abuzz over its potential and limitless opportunity. Add in the fact that you can’t spend any significant time with a group of women these days without hearing someone talk about it (even offline)… and you’ve got my attention. So over the past few weeks I have been dabbling into the on-line pinboard.
Thanks to an invite from a friend, I created an account – though my wife uses hers more than I use mine. And I have seen the reason for its enormous popularity. As a result, I have completely embraced it as a traffic-driving website by adding images back into my posts and a Pin-It button at the bottom (ummm, hint-hint). It is as legitimate a social networking site as the others (Twitter, Facebook, Google+)… and growing faster than any of them.
The Benefits of Pinterest
Over the past few weeks of exploring the site (and conducting a number of interviews with users), I have seen the wonderful benefits that Pinterest offers. No doubt their recent growth is because of them:
- Opportunity to “pin” ideas on a virtual pinboard for later reference. The original idea behind the website is a fabulous one. Stumble across a great idea on-line. Pin it (and organize it) with just a few easy clicks to easily find it later when the need arises.
- A filter for the Internet. The Internet is big. As a result, there are tons of helpful articles, recipes, and ideas. But there is also a lot of bad ideas in the exact same space. Taking the time to find the good in the midst of the bad can be a daunting task. Pinterest solves that problem by filtering out the worthless (well, some of it anyway).
- Connect people with similar interests. Enjoy cooking desserts? Shooting photography? Designing interiors? Pinterest offers the opportunity to connect with others (even experts) around the world with similar passions.
- Opportunity to grow in your craft. Many users of Pinterest have used the website to become better at what they do. No matter what your interest/hobby/profession, you can likely find helpful links to inspire and instruct. Teachers, photographers, cooks, and homemakers are growing in their craft. And make no mistake, that’s a great thing for everyone!
- Save money. I have spoken with dozens of women (mostly) concerning their experience on Pinterest. On more than one occasion, it was pointed out to me specifically how an idea found on Pinterest saved them money. These money-saving tips were typically found in Do-It-Yourself remedies, cheap decorative ideas, or recipes that saved money.
- Inspiration. Many of the items found on Pinterest can serve as on-line inspiration for its user. Inspirational quotes and photos are commonplace. Great articles that offer hope can be found on Pinterest (I think to think that’s why some of my posts do so well). Some have even taken this aspect to a whole new level by posting items onto a “Goals” pinboard that promises vacations/experiences/purchases as a reward for accomplishing certain self-improving goals in their lives.
- Brings the family together. I know of many mothers and daughters that have spent time together completing a craft or new recipe found on Pinterest. This even extends to grown daughters who have moved away from home as the platform naturally creates something they have in common with their mothers.
The Inherent Dangers of Pinterest
But I have also seen some unintended consequences among its users that appear unhealthy. And I wanted to raise the awareness level towards them:
- It can be very addictive. This is not new information. Nearly everyone that I spoke to about Pinterest started by saying, “It can be really addictive. Before you know it, you can waste an hour or more just looking at photos and articles.” Obviously, there should be some concern raised over the simple act of wasting time, but the bigger issue centers on the reasons that it becomes so addicting.
- It feeds into our natural tendency to compare our lives with others. Images never tell the whole story… they only tell the story we allow them to tell. And many of the images on Pinterest communicate the story of perfect homes, perfect kids, perfect recipes, perfect body shapes, and perfect outfits. These snapshots in time are not truly representative of the entire story… but we still end up comparing our lives to them and wondering what’s wrong with us.
- It centers our thoughts into a life of fantasy rather than a life of reality. We see stunning photos of a fireplace next to a jet tub overlooking a snow-covered mountain and we can’t help but dream of that reality. But the moment we center our thoughts on that “dream” life, we rob all the joy out of our existing reality. We lose the capacity to fully appreciate all the blessings that surround us when we begin to dream about what we’re missing instead.
- It promotes the pursuit of material possessions. Sometimes intentionally, but mostly unintentionally, Pinterest promotes the pursuit and consumption of material possessions. We see the beautiful photos and desire to own that cute little outfit, perfectly-matched furniture, or one-of-a-kind home decor. Their promises of greater joy in life are pasted all over the screen in front of us. And even if hop on Pinterest for healthy reasons, the subtle messages are unavoidable.
- It becomes easy to confuse “pinning” with “doing.” Pinterest offers incredible opportunity to grow in life and skill. The possibilities are endless… maybe too endless. We discover an idea and discern that it would be fun and worthwhile to pursue. But before we get a chance to start, we discover another and then another and then another… And before too long, we’ve spent the entire time bookmarking exciting new projects but haven’t completed (or even started) any of them. We’d be far better served finding one opportunity and pursuing it with focus and energy before moving onto others.
- It can become a form of unhelpful clutter that robs us of life. The purpose and the layout of Pinterest promotes clutter in our minds. Rarely is anything looked at in a vaccum. Even when we try to isolate one idea, the other images merely fade into the background (not disappear) still calling for us to come back and browse some more. Clutter (physical or mental) always distracts us from joy in the present moment as it calls our attention elsewhere. And Pinterest makes a living providing it.
How to Make the Most of Pinterest
How then does one make use of the medium without falling prey to its unintended consequences?
1. Everything in moderation. Refuse to allow Pinterest to dominate your life. You control it and use it for your benefit… not the other way around. Set a timer. Or choose a time of day (early in the morning, when the kids are at school, etc) that Pinterest won’t distract you from the most important priorities in life.
2. Be mindful. Journey within. The damaging emotions that we have always struggled with still exist, they have just found a new way to surface. Learn to recognize them. Envy, jealousy, selfishness, and unhealthy comparisons have never brought us joy. When you feel them surfacing on Pinterest, turn it off. Get away. And spend some time promoting gratitude.
3. Have a purpose when logging on. If you want to find a new recipe for Tilapia or a fun, inexpensive dessert for your child’s birthday party, Pinterest is a great place to look. If you want to grow in your craft, Pinterest likely offers a number of helpful articles. But if you have a purpose, stay focused. Don’t fall into the temptation to browse other topics. And use the search option to limit mindless browsing.
4. Follow people who add value. The value of Pinterest (just like every other social networking site) is found in the people you follow. If someone is clogging your stream with unhelpful (or unhealthy) links, don’t hesitate to unfollow.
5. Keep in mind that not every one on Pinterest is pure in heart. Pinterest has grown quickly. People are hanging out there. And wherever people are hanging out, entrepreneurs will use it to make money (always!). You may not think you’re seeing paid advertisements when you log onto Pinterest, but you are. Keep that in mind. Some of the posts are intentionally designed to get your money… be warned.
By all means, embrace Pinterest. Enjoy it. Improve your life through it. But doing so in a mindful manner, will keep you from unintentionally pinning unhealthy habits in your heart while you do.
Misty Gilbert says
I thoroughly enjoyed this post!!! I have a pinterest account, but have done nothing with it…you clearly outlined why! Thanks for the reminders about what is important to me and where I want to spend my time.
Christine says
While it is great that you added a Pin button to your posts … aren’t your photos from iStock? Not cited as being from there, your photo goes viral on Pinterest, and now people are attributing you with the work instead of the photographer.
Something you would never want to have happen with your well crafted words. (I love reading your posts and subscribe to them via email so I don’t miss them!)
Just something to think about. As a photographer, this is a HUGE issue for me. I want to see pins go to their original sources, and the credit for the photos to go where it belongs as well whenever possible.
(And if you took that photograph yourself, my apologies. Since the file name is iStock, I assumed it was from there.)
Bernice @ Living the Balanced Life says
I am on Pinterest, for various reasons, but I do get quite aggravated when people do not properly give credit. I admit I am not perfect about it either, but do my best when pinning that it comes from the original source. Many times, when I want to repin something or share it via a post, I will spend quite a bit of time searching for the original poster. Of course that becomes a time suck, so I have to weigh it out, but I would like the original pinner to credit properly.
And I agree that there are some serious copyright issues going on. I hope that they can solved without destroying what Pinterest is!
joshua becker says
Hey Christine, I was about to send you an e-mail on this comment… but decided to post it here instead and make the conversation a bit more public. The photo is from Istock and your comment has sent me down a road of research, but maybe just asking the question of you would be more helpful.
On one level, I’m hoping that the copyright concerns don’t dominate the comment section here… that’s not where I was intending this post to end up. But on another level, maybe there is helpful information that others can use as well.
When I purchase an image from Istock, I pay money for the right to post the image on my website – this money then finds its way into Istock pockets and the photographers pockets at a predetermined level of sharing. That’s not a problem.
The issue becomes when somebody else takes that image and “repins” it to Pinterest. The “Pinner” or Pinterest stands in copyright violation for housing that full-size image on its server, rather than just a thumbnail of it. The violation is on the part of Pinterest and/or “the Pinner,” not me correct? That is the assumption that I have been working under. And is certainly an unresolved issue (with not just Pinterest, by the way) that will need to be settled by people far more trained in law than myself.
But for me, I am wrestling with the next logical question that must be asked of me (the blogger), “If I post a purchased image on my blog just so that it would get pinned on Pinterest (as noted in the post)… am I not partly at fault as well?
I’d appreciate your thoughts as a photographer.
Christine says
You know, it is a slippery road. One I hadn’t even thought about before I read your post, where you said you had added a pin button hoping people would use it. Of course, to pin, there needs to be a photo – something visual.
And from there, it gets all crazy.
I think it is something we will see get sorted out over the next few months. As a photographer, I welcome whole-heartedly people to pin my work, but I want it to link back to me, not a Tumblr blog. (I watermark everything for a reason.)
Could you watermark a small “Courtesy of iStockPhoto” in the corner of the images you use? So credit stays with the image?
It is an interesting conversation – thanks for responding here (and via email) and if I think of anything more, I’ll be sure to share!
Kym says
Wow, what a coincidence – I just received a Pinterest invitation the same day as this post. I had been interested in signing up, but hadn’t realized that it was only letting me sign up through Facebook or Twitter, neither of which am I a part of. I’m taking that as a sign, I will be passing up Pinterest as well.
Kristin Healy says
I wanted to see a friend’s pinterest boards thru facebook, so I “joined” and suddenly, all my connections were invited to see my boards… and many began following me! I have nothing to show, not knowing how to use it. In that respect, it is disappointing. Plus, other apps thru facebook, like wordswithfriends (scrabble) invade space on facebook with trivial move by move postings. It’s nice to connect with friends and play a stimulating word game, but must turn 99% of the rest of your other “friends” away. I find the most updates on fb are from blogs, not individuals.
Magila says
Interesting. I haven’t been there long and had no idea they were making users claim oiehrsnwp in pinned images. I can’t imagine that would hold up, since the point of the site is to grab images from around the web. I have posted my own work there from my blog, but I do put my website on the image first, as I do whenever I put any image online that I care about. I’m hoping people will repin my work, therefore spreading my blog link plus my website link. All pins link to the original image, so it’s promotion for that artist. Right? Honestly, if you put up images without branding them first, you can’t possibly keep people from using them. Artists should be aware of that and take precautions.
Diane Balch says
Your reflective ability on such a current topic is impressive. I have gotten into pining too and have to resist it’s seductiveness. I find looking at images very relaxing. On the positive side I have connected with some great art sites and have been spending time looking at and reflecting on art that I would not have gotten a chance to see. I will share your post, excellent, thanks.
Teresa says
I just was “invited” to set up but then decided against it when I started reading articles regarding copyright violations. People are pinning people’s work without permission and Pinterest is profiting from it by people coming to their site rather than the original artist’s site. This is the most recent article posted online yesterday. I wouldn’t want someone pinning my work and someone else profiting from it no more than I would want to do that to someone else. In the terms of use of Pinterest you are to get permission but how many people are actually doing that?!
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/250700/what_you_should_know_about_pinterest_and_copyright.html
Janet says
I feel that the negatives outweigh the benefits regarding Pinterest. Most of the benefits listed can be achieved without using Pinterest – and probably in more depth.
Here’s my biggest objection – When you’re on Pinterest – or any social media network for that matter – you’re not doing something else. That is what is called an ‘opportunity cost’. It is what you give up in order to be engaged in whatever you are doing at the moment. So when I spend time looking at somebody else’s ideas I am not:
1.) Working
2.) Preparing a lesson for my class
3.) Paying attention to my husband or family
4.) Making art
5.) Clearing out that closet that has been driving me crazy, etc., etc., etc…..
I don’t know about everybody else, but the time that I would be able to spend on Pinterest or texting or Facebook is the time that I should be doing one of the above activities. I guess if you have a few hours a day where there are no other demands at your time, have at it.
petrichore says
I’ve got in the habit of limiting my Facebook time to about 5 minutes a day max, using it as a glorified form of email. My time feels less wasted!
minima/maxima, a blog about minimalist style
ruth says
This is basic time management. 5 mins on any of the sites listed will not cost much- if anything- when time is truly managed to one’s maximum benefit.
Mike | Homeless On Wheels says
Two more things to add to your “dangers” list:
It REQUIRES Facebook account to join – a threat to privacy, and keeps folks from keeping their various personas/networks separate.
It’s all just a big data harvesting operation. There was a news story on television the other night explaining how Pinterest is making big money via data mining.
frugalportland says
It doesn’t require facebook, just encourages, like everything else.
frugalportland says
YES it is really addictive. And because there are a lot of women on it, there’s a bit of the insecurity situation as well.
But I love it. I love getting to know the women in my boyfriend’s family in a way that would take YEARS without this.
Lisa Jean says
I love Pinterest. I love to cook, so have found lots of recipes to try or have tried already. I have a childcare/preschool and have set up boards to organinze tons of curriculum ideas and blogs. Just like anything, it’s all in moderation.
marcia says
I love it too and I have found alot of recipes, educational ideas to do with my 2 year old granddaughter, crafting, etc. It’s like anything you have to use in moderation-but I’m a visual person and enjoy organizing in this visual way!