Managing Pinterest and its Users

Do you ever wonder how a social networking site manages all the activity that is put online? Any site you choose to use will have a Terms of Service agreement. Van Dijck explains this as explicit rules set to serve and regulate, and every time a user a logs onto a specific platform they are abiding to a contractual relationship which allows and restraints a user from posting something  (2013, p. 38). It is important to read through these terms to understand your right as a user (2012). Like other social networking sites, Pinterest has its own Terms of Service, and although you do not have to agree to them when creating an account there are made very public and any time there are modifications a user is made aware of this so there is no room for confusion and a user must verify that they understand changes have been made.

The terms are laid out to structure users participation (Lui, 2015, p. 136) and to keep their vision intact. The Acceptable Use section within the Terms of Service is very important to maintaining a safe and comfortable space for users to like, share, and post, as it helps control the flow of image on the site (Lui, 2015, p. 137). The first listed restriction is banning anything that is deemed “sexually explicit or pornographic” (Lui, 2015, p. 137). However, with over 100 million users monthly it becomes difficult to oversee all the content and make sure it is appropriate according to the terms. Anyone can report something that defies the rules, such as pornographic or self-harm/self-abuse posts. But what is the difference between explicit and non-explicit posts involving nudity for example. Below are some posts that involve nudity but have been deemed appropriate.

As well Pinterest does state they have the power to delete anything that does not fit with their vision. Unfortunately some times a pins link to content can lead a user to a third party website that may have inappropriate information and material, where in this case Pinterest is not responsible.

Privacy is another important aspect in the management of Pinterest. Simply put, when a user signs up for Pinterest, or like networking sites, they voluntarily give certain information, which gives Pinterest the ability to track some of the things a user does both on their site, and they can share it with third party sites as well. They take users likes to help suggest different pins and boards they may be interested in.

Works Cited

Lui, D. (2015) Public Curation and Private Collection: The Production of Knowledge on Pinterest.com. Critical Studies in Media Communication, 32(2), pp 128-142. doi: 10.1080/15295036.2015.1023329

No, P. D. T. O. W., & Post, Y. (2012) The copyright question" How to protect yourself on Pinterest.

Van Dijck, J. (2013). The culture of connectivity: A critical history of social media. Oxford: Oxford University Press.