Pins to Boards: The Power in Pinterest

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While I initially viewed Pinterest as a space totally separate from the concept of networking, once I made the link between the two it became impossible to avoid. Pinterest is, "a visual pinboard for organizing, sharing, and discovering online content.“ (Hands, 2013, p. 346) While Pinterest doesn’t want you to consider it a social media network, much like social media sites it frequently employs the power of seduction to entice its users, while it’s stolen content and self-regulation through the form of secret boards serve to disempower.

 The way that Pinterest functions is eerily reminiscent of small world theory. While there is a search function available that allows a user to look for nearly anything, the most prominent method of finding new pins is through Pinterest’s suggestion function. Based on the images that you have ‘pinned’, Pinterest will find other boards that share these exact same pins and link them to you, causing the average Pinterest user to jump from board to board through these links. Users with high amounts of pinned content serve as hubs, as the sheer quantity makes for innumerable numbers of connections between users.

 “Spaces may be laid out for temptation in a seductive way through a combination of suggestive practices, inclusive designs and enticing layouts,” (Allens, 2003, p. 11). And indeed, the power that Pinterest holds is a seductive one, as a well-designed site based upon the sharing of aesthetically pleasing images. Its layout is sleek and eye catching, employing red to suggest activity and energy. There’s seduction layered into almost every aspect of its function, with its constant suggestions forever enticing you to continue down a rabbit hole of boards that the average user may never come out of. Those active users who have acquired a large amount of content also employ seductive power tactics, with the promise of a consistent flow of content drawing followers to them, only increasing any social power they may have. Yet even with that power, there are still illusory aspects that bring into question how empowered these users may be. There is a lack of control that comes with Pinterest, with the lack of ability to total privacy that comes with any space on the Internet. There is especially a lack of agency for content creators, as Pinterest is notorious for reposting the works of others, making identifying the original source/owner an almost impossible task among the sea of pins. There’s also a sense of self surveillance on Pinterest, particular in the use of ‘secret boards’. This allows for the creation of boards away from the judging eye from others, as no images pinned to a secret board can be viewed by your followers. This leads to a sort of self-regulation, constantly aware of how they are viewed by others who come across their profile. (Hands, 2013, p. 248)

 I’ve always been a weak link, and that continues to be the case with Pinterest. My usage of the site is a on solitary one, solely used for ‘moodboards’ that follow a certain concept or topic. Thus, my view of the site never came from a critical perspective, but one of an unaware consumer. However, the modalities of power brought to my attention through subject lectures have made me aware of the intrusive nature of a seemingly private board, and the seductive nature of what was previously viewed as pleasant design decisions free of intention. I look forward to future engagement with the site, as I continue to become conscious of the ways that networks shape Pinterest and those who interact with it.

 References
Allen, J. (2003). Introduction: Lost Geographies. Lost Geographies of Power (1-12). Oxford: Blackwell Publishers Ltd.
Fingas, J. (2017). Pinterest doesn't want you to see it as a social network. Retrieved from https://www.engadget.com/2017/04/23/pinterest-to-run-first-us-ads/

Hands, A. (2013). Tech Services on the Web: Pinterest; http://www.pinterest.com. Technical Services Quarterly, 30(3), 346-247. http://dx.doi.org.elibrary.jcu.edu.au/10.1080/07317131.2013.788392

Turkle, S. (1995). Virtuality and Its Discontents. Life On The Screen: Identity in the Age of the Internet (246-249). New York: Simon and Schuster Paperbacks.

Pinterest Logo [Image]. Retrieved from https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/avatars/pinterest_1475538227_280.jpg