Pinterest is a social media that has been lost in the dust, but I think it needs to come back

Recently, I feel like Pinterest is slowly joining the graveyard of old social media that no one uses, right next to Facebook and Myspace. However, I would like to stop this and put a jump start on Pinterest again and have it start being used again. I personally enjoy scrolling on Pinterest, it is calming to me. Now this is very personal since the algorithm caters to what picture the person using it interacts with, so I could understand why people would be turned off within the first seconds of clicking on it. If they have not interacted with it before, their feed would be filled with a bunch of random pictures that don’t intrigue them. While I am fully aware of how difficult it is to really get into the app, I think it should be resurrected regardless. 

Junior Kai Naveratte said, “I’ve only really used it in the past,” which proves my  point that Pinterest is fading away. 

Leading more into the personalization of the app, I think that is one of the most appealing parts of it. Creating a safe space within the app for the user to completely customize what they see. Everytime the person goes on it, it is almost exactly what they want to see. When I click on it, I am always greeted with beautiful pictures that cater to my personal interests and what I find appealing. I think that is an amazing aspect and should be appreciated a lot more. It is so much more calming than a closely related social media known as Instagram. 

As an active user of Instagram, I know the app well, and  the negative aspects of it are very prevalent. The two platforms relate to each other since they are so heavily picture based. However, these two differ a lot, specifically in the way of the highly negative aspects of Instagram. There is a very clear and high saturation within Instagram of just photoshopped models. Which is extremely negative to the viewers of this media. It has caused a lot of mental health problems within the youth and everyday people that use it. This is supported by the article in Time magazine, titled “Why Instagram Is the Worst Social Media for Mental Health.”  It said,“It [Instagram] was also associated with high levels of anxiety, depression, bullying and FOMO, or the “fear of missing out.” 

This social media is destroying people’s mental health, it is a negative platform and Pinetrest is a much safer option. The article said, “Social media posts can also set unrealistic expectations and create feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem.” The posts that are so heavily focused on the way a person looks or their lifestyle creates a negative environment for the user as well as the poster. Another difference between these two social media is the drive for likes on Instagram. Pinterest doesn’t really have this, it does have a like feature, but it is not fully based on the concept of likes. Pinterest is not a competition like Instagram is, it’s just a pretty platform that you can safely scroll on.

Another part of Pinterest that I have mentioned before is the customization of the platform. The user can decide exactly what they want to see and won’t be surprised by a title wave of photoshopped pictures that make them insecure right when they log in. Instead, they are greeted by photos that they like and make them happy, pictures that relate to them. It is just overall a happier place.

It is an amazing place for inspiration on projects and to calm a person’s mind. Junior Kai Navarrette said, “I like to use it for inspiration for creative things like projects or how to decorate my room.” It is a very useful platform that promotes creativity in people. 

I do understand the stigma around Pinterest, and the “Pinterest Mom” but I do think it has a lot more possibilities. There is for sure a part of the app that caters to soccer moms that are trying way too hard, but the app deserves to be more than that. 

Senior Kayla Washington said, “There is not really a stigma, at least not to me.” Which makes sense since she is an active user. Once a person uses it enough, the algorithm gets rid of the cringy part of Pinterest.