Is Pinterest a Social Networking Site?

When we think of browsing on Pinterest for recipes, DIY projects, and style ideas do we think that we are on a site that can be compared to Facebook or Instagram? Ben Silbermann, the co-founder and chief executive of Pinterest, says that it contrary to popular belief, Pinterest is not a social network. He explains it as “a catalogue of ideas” which offers a vision of the Internet as a temple to consumerism. He also explains that his company often does not refer to Pinterest as a social network because social networks are about communicating with other people while Pinterest is really about planning and getting ideas for your own personal life: “With social networks, it’s them time. With Pinterest, it’s me time” (Martinson, 2016). People go on the site/application to save ideas to better their own personal lives not to rile up other people or make a big statement.

Though the CEO and co-founder of Pinterest does not refer to it as a social network it falls under most of the criteria of social media. A social function that Pinterest possesses is that users can re-pin items from other boards posted by other users to their own boards as well as “liking” or commenting on things that other people have pinned. Sound familiar? This is similar to sharing, commenting and liking things on Facebook. There is also an option to cross-share through other social networks. You can mention (@) users from Twitter and create collaborative boards. For example, if I wanted to create a Christmas wish-list board on Pinterest I could mention my sisters to it so that they have an idea of what I would like this year. Or if a bride mentions her groom on Pinterest they can create a collaborative board of what they would like their wedding to look like. Pinterest gives pinners an in-your-face opportunity to hyper-personalise: This is me. This is what I like. This is who I want to be. It allows people to create an online persona which is a commonality across all social media.

Pinterest promotes interpersonal contact in different ways that Facebook, Twitter and Instagram does but in many ways it can be the same as sharing, commenting and liking activities on social media feeds. Pinterest wouldn’t be the first social media platform that I use to connect with people but it certainly offers a sense of community it its users.

Work Cited

Martinson, J. (2016, June 12). Pinterest Chief Ben Silbermann: 'We're Not a Social Network'. Retrieved from The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/jun/12/pinterest-ben-silbermann-social-network