Organization makes us feel in control. When everything is in its place, the world just seems happier. Sorting, sifting, and maybe even pinning all help us feel accomplished and organized. At least that’s the effect it has on me.
Pinterest, created in 2010, has been helping stay-at-home moms with so-called ‘life hacks’, craft gurus create, and (much to my annoyance) teenage girls plan their weddings and child rearing techniques. Users can search any topic, product, style, or recipe or they can simply browse one of the website’s 34 sections ranging from the titles including “geek”, “animals”, “design”, and “health and fitness”. Once you find something that grabs your attention, it’s easy to repin it to a board and come back later.
As a member of Pinterest, I can honestly say I wish it was actually worth my time. By this I don’t mean the website isn’t fun to browse or look up cute crafts and baby animals, but that it doesn’t hold my interest for very long. Strange seeing that the name itself implies that it is interesting, right?
In theory, Pinterest seems like a good idea. It’s a place for you to save all those articles and tips on the internet that have you saying ‘I am so trying that’. Or maybe it’s a place to find new recipes if cooking is your thing. However the reality of Pinterest, as many people seem to discover, is that nothing is ever as good as it looks in the picture, or the task seems far too daunting. Many of the crafts, recipes, or activities that I repin never see the light of day again. There are many famous failed projects; almost every girl knows you need superhuman or supermom powers to take a project from the boards to real life. It can just be assumed that if a craft pops up on your feed, it shouldn’t be tried. And if it’s labeled as ‘so easy’ it’s safer to just walk away.
The second issue I find is the ‘for the future’ category of boards I see on Pinterest, and the wedding ones in particular. Sure, every little girl dreams of her wedding dress and possibly even the perfect venue for her day. Whether it’s a ball gown or an A-line dress, a gorgeous cathedral or the beach, there’s never a shortage of pins when it comes to wedding planning. I guess this can be helpful for those women out there with a quickly approaching wedding date, or at least women of a marrying age. I don’t know about you, but a 16-year-old girl with her entire wedding planned to the T sends up a red flag to me. It seems just a little strange. Maybe this is just our generation’s way of dreaming of our wedding day. But how about we plan for redecorating our bedrooms, or a pretty nail design first, ladies?
Some of the things I actually use the site and the mobile app for are very simple recipes that usually require little to no cooking, and hair and nail ideas. However, some style inspirations and room decor ideas come from the pins I see as well. I do enjoy the website, but I enjoy the benefits of other social media far more, and I only resort to Pinterest when the others have nothing new to offer.
Scrolling through Pinterest is much like flipping through the pages of a magazine. There are expensive items you’ll probably never buy, ridiculous workouts that will never be done, dessert recipes that look so delicious but far too complicated to make, and beautiful celebrities who champion great outfits and great hair, both of which you only wish you could have. It’s fun to go through the website’s many tags and save a few neat ideas, but at the end of the day Pinterest leaves much to be desired.
