Pinterest, unlike many other social media platforms, is not built for facilitating communication between its users. Rather, as this study shows, Pinterest is primarily a solitary site. This detached experience means that narrative is key to navigating and understanding the content you’re consuming, with few text cues to guide intention. Board names provide dominant interpretations and perceptions of their pins, the latter of which in turn help form perspectives on the user that pinned it.
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Names set tones and attachments for boards. Given that Pinterest is a visual medium, board titles are some of the only text that the user has access to, barring board descriptions and pin captions. While pictures tell a thousand words, due to the often disjointed nature of pinning (especially when the board theme constitutes a more abstract concept, like a time period or a feeling), it is not always immediately clear what the intention and meaning behind those pins are. Without the board name, it is free for the viewer to form their own perspective as to the significance of these pins. To quote Tuan (1991), “Naming is power-the creative power to call something into being, to render the invisible visible, to impart a certain character to things.” (pp. 688) Therefore, the board name exists to impose a dominant reading for the board, changing the way it is perceived. An image of a beach means very different things between a ‘holiday’ board and a board that revolves around something so detached as the concept of loneliness.
While Tuan’s reading purposefully discussed language in the form of ‘speech’ for their article, I will instead be discussing language in terms of visuals. Language, in this instance, is the capacity to relate ideas and concepts through what can be seen, such as invoking the image of a tree to symbolise an actual tree. In this sense, language is quite easily manipulated on Pinterest, in order to shift perceptions of a user. The language of pins communicates a great deal about the user, and can inform perceptions of their personality, tastes, and lifestyle. For example, pinning content that depicts lavish lifestyles or extravagant fashions may paint a perception of an extroverted personality, or even a wealthy financial background.
The visual language of Pinterest is key to constructing narrative with which to orient oneself (Victoria Kuttainen, 2017). While naming boards is integral to the construction of a dominant theme, it is the visual language of pins that creates the perception of self. With limited opportunity for interaction between users, this perception can heavily influence who users may follow, or if they even pursue that limited interaction. While not readily apparent due to the lack of overt user presence, the way users (consciously or sub-consciously) depict themselves is necessary to the Pinterest experience.
References
How to Promote Your Etsy Shop With Pinterest [Image]. Retrieved from https://i.pinimg.com/736x/da/4c/78/da4c784558f44b58c0cf13aa63ef5738--business-baby-etsy-business.jpg
Phillips, B. J., Miller, J., & McQuarrie, E. F. (2014) Dreaming out loud on Pinterest. International Journal of Advertising, 33(4), 633-655, DOI: 10.2501/ IJA-33-4-633-655
Tuan, Y. (1991). Language and the Making of Place: A Narrative-Descriptive Approach. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 81(4), 684-696. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/2563430
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