“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.
Katherine Natalia says
Thank you. I had heard of pinterest but not been on it yet. You have encouraged me to take a look.
Christophe says
Pinterest seems to be VERY popular in the U.S. Maybe in a fews months, it will be the same in Europe… Let’s see.
Michelle says
I read an interesting article about copyright issues and pinterest. I don’t know much about either, but it was concerning.
petrichore says
I appreciate the critical view you take of things like Pinterest–it helps me to evaluate my own use of things like social media in a more objective way. Unlike Pinterest, your blog is a place where I know I can find something worthwhile to read that is in line with my own values about consumption, materialism, etc.!
minima/maxima, a blog about minimalist style
Kay says
All the cons of Pinterest also apply to Facebook and many other things that can become a “time-suck” in my life. Like you say, everything in moderation.
Nicole says
I have a mobile phone that only makes calls and texts. I don’t have a Facebook account and I have only just learnt about Pinterest last week. I get a sore back sitting at the computer for too long so I choose my time on it very carefully. I just find that I have so much else to do – like visit your blog which serves a direct purpose of keeping my minimalism front and centre! I have rid myself of all my fantasy selves and now know how I like to spend my time and if I need anything, google or my local library have always helped out admirably. I’m not against these things I just haven’t needed them.
Tara says
I’ve been on Pinterest almost as long as there’s been Pinterest, and I completely agree with every single thing you’ve said. In the first weeks of my pinning, I spent hour after hour after hour pinning. (Ironically, the same thing that happened when I first got on Tiwtter, and when I first got on Facebook…) I quickly realized that I needed to set a timer and stick to it. Once I was able to do that, pinning became easily controllable.
I use Pinterest most for homeschool ideas and lessons and home organization ideas; it has enhanced my “real life” a lot.
Having said that, I do think it distracts a lot of people (just like all social media) from their real lives, and they don’t even realize it. Anyway, thanks for a great and balanced post.
Bernice @ Living the Balanced Life says
Joshua,
I was very late jumping on the Pinterest bandwagon, even though I had been hearing and seeing a lot from it. As a blogger myself, I kept seeing traffic being sent to me via Pinterest where someone else had pinned my posts. After this continued for several weeks, I decided if it was sending traffic I needed to understand how it works.
And so I jumped in with both feet :) And I actually get quite a bit of traffic to my sites from it.
I am very careful how much time I spend on it, and will go several days at a time without even visiting Pinterest. I use it to gather thoughts and ideas for my blog posts, as well as my inspirational facebook posts.
I also use it to share photography ideas with my young adult daughter who is building her photography business, as inspiration for poses and props. She is also expecting her first baby and lives in another city, so we are able to share ideas about baby products, etc.
I have another daughter who is a great cook, and mom of 6, and we love to share recipe ideas on Pinterest.
For all of these scenarios, I know we could still share via email, etc, but having it in one place makes it much nicer, plus I am a visual person who loves to “see” the pictures on the boards.
I think, just like any other thing in our life that can take time from our lives, we have to search ourselves and our priorities to make sure we are living by what is important to us.
Thanks for sharing this list of positives AND negatives with us!
Dee Dee says
I couldn’t agree more with the few comments I read. To be honest I’m disappointed that it’s even mentioned. I’m looking for ways to encourage my new lifestyle, and not to sabotage it. I won’t even do facebook because of the time it takes away. I’m trying to free up more time. Sorry, but it’s how I feel. Could say more but I won’t.
joshua becker says
Thanks Dee Dee. I’m of the belief that few things are inherently evil – most things are healthy or unhealthy based on how we make use of them. I have found great value in both Twitter and Facebook – and while some would argue that it is not possible, I would argue that it’s just a matter of how you choose to use the platform. Pinterest holds the same potential.
ruth says
Well worded.
kamisaki says
Joshua, I agree. We are all at different stages of adopting our new lifestyle of simplicity, and that means something different for everyone. Some people find no place for Facebook or Pinterest or other similar things, while other people do find these things to be of value when used appropriately and in moderation. Because of the growing popularity of Pinterest, and it’s inherent characteristic of having great addictive potential, I found this post to be both timely and extremely useful. This is true for me, as I have shied away from learning about Pinterest, but can see how it would be useful in my life, if kept reined in. This offered great suggestions on doing just that. Thanks for a great post.
Anna says
It is cool that the first thing I found to be of interest on Pinterest was your blog! I pinned it to my board which remains very uncluttered and clean as a testimony to minimalism. I am really enjoying downsizing my clutter by selling items on Ebay. I only post things on Pinterest that I feel convey a simple life. :)