Why We're So Pinterested

Connecting without connecting has become a near obsession in today’s society. One social media app however is taking an entirely different approach to the “why and how we use social media” app game.

Pinterest is a “visual discovery tool” social media app that allows people to share images and ideas for different projects from recipes to home renovations. What started as a closed beta site launch in 2010 with a sparse number of users, turned into one of the “50 Best Websites of 2011” according to Time Magazine, and now has 200 million monthly users. What makes this platform unique is that these 200 million monthly users are 2X more likely to say that their time on Pinterest is well spent vs. other platforms.

• 55% of users use Pinterest to shop, while 67% look at saved content on the app while in stores.
• 87% of users say that Pinterest helps them learn new things.

It appears that more than other social media apps, the “tool” functionality remains at the forefront of users’ minds, while the tidal wave of “social” and “media” agenda of competing apps is held at bay.       In other words, for most users, Pinterest = Productivity.

“If you can imagine it and visualize it, you can create it.” – IAM University.

Three simple steps to creating what you want in life, imagine, visualize, and create. Most of us know that if you want to accomplish something, you’ve got to be able to see it first. Any success starts with the seed sewn in our thoughts. Images have an incredible effect on our brain in large part because whether we are aware or not, images evoke emotion. We are 65% more likely to remember something when a picture is associated. In similar fashion we are more likely to accomplish a goal, perform a task, or complete our to-do list when we can see it. With this in mind, Pinterest takes on the role of a mini vision board. More than just a “visual discovery tool,” Pinterest is a:

• visual
• goal oriented
•  personalized
• organizable
•  vision board –
• search engine.

Perhaps you are ready to start creating a masterpiece… in 6 months. Psychology would say to start creating a visual of that masterpiece now. Assemble a piece here and a part there, give it its own bulletin board. In 6 months’ time you’ll find you’ve already started and made more progress than you thought.  

The average person spends nearly 2 hours a day on social media. What starts as an innocent 15 second cat video can easily turn into an endless rabbit hole of social noise, political opinions, Sean Bean memes, and endless attempts to steal a portion of your attention while you passively consume interestingly irrelevant content. The Solution? Invest time, don’t spend it. If cat videos are your thing, invest that time to give yourself a needed de stress pause on your day. Make your consumption choices conscious ones. Don’t just consume, create. Probably the biggest benefit of social media is the ability to create and share meaningful, beneficial, content. Decide what that looks like for you (as it’s probably different for each of the billions of users that are posting and sharing daily). The very structure of Pinterest has given us this opportunity probably better than any other social media app. It’s not just content, it’s content with the intent of action. It’s pinning productivity.

Sources:https://guides.co/g/how-to-market-your-business-on-pinterest/17108http://thehistoryofpinterest.blogspot.com/https://business.pinterest.com/en/blog/audience-insights-a-closer-look-at-whos-on-pinterest