P: Pinterest Pursuits

I found it only proper that I add my Pinterest button on Day 'P'.  I must share my own short history with this 'all the rage' form of social media, or as Greg likes to call it, 'Fantasy football for girls'.  Okay, that is fairly simplistic, and probably stereotyping but while there are men on Pinterest, the majority are females.

So my persuasion for this letter today?  Participate and peruse at your own risk!

For months, I was hounded persuaded by a friend to join Pinterest.  She sent the official invite, and then  pestered me to get on it. now.  I procrastinated.  (of course!)  I puzzled over the whole purpose of the thing (see, I'm all about purpose).  I perplexed, 'So, let me get this straight - the idea is to sit idle and scroll through picture after picture of this and that, pin it to boards and......why?'  I didn't get it.  I had my qualms about the sheer idea of the absolute PREPOSTEROUSNESS of a waste of time that it seemed.  


Then my daughter pressed for me to join, sent me an invite.....and I caved.  I reasoned that if it was something she was into, it would be prudent of me to check it out.  I am glad I did, but I do still have my presentiment.


Here's what I have found in my short time partaking of this past-time:


1.  Early on, I had been 'sucked in' to the vortex that is 'Pinterest'.  It has an addictive quality to it, much like a gambling.  'One more hand.  One more spin of the wheel.'  For Pinterestees, it's 'One more scroll.'  An hour or more would also 'scroll' by and I'd be all, 'must.scroll.one.more.time.'  It has the ability to be very addicting.  I have, since the newness has worn off, 'sobered' from my 'pinaddiction'.  I can go weeks now, and not get on it at all.  I even forgot my password to it at one point recently.

2.  I still question it's true purpose and validity.  If it is some sort of marketing tool, it doesn't work on me. As I have watched my daughter use it, it doesn't seem to work in that way for her either.  I am assuming that as a marketing outreach, the idea would be to 'pin' lots of pictures of your products on there in hopes that they get pinned and re-pinned and that people would actually double-click on it and be directed right to your site where mass quantities of people would purchase all the things they feel they can't live without.  I can honestly say that I don't double-click much, if anything.  Mostly, it's, 'Aw, that's cute/nifty/interesting/true/funny/________.' Repin.  Done.

3.  After having participated for a while now, and read others' comments on the pins, as well as perused the pins themselves, I have to say, I think that it has an inherent potential to perpetuate two monsters: 1) The Gimmees and 2) Never good enough/skinny enough/pretty enough/ crafty enough/ witty enough...etc.  I will focus on this more as it relates to 'realness' but I have seen enough of women's comments on pins that go something like this:
' Wish I could look like that.'  'Wish I could wear that.'  'I'll never have that butt.'  
On and on and on.
For that reason, I 'pin' selectively and try to peer at things on there with proper perspective.


4.  I will say, it has been a good window into the heart of my precious daughter.  She has her dreams, desires, wants and wedding pinings  right there for me to see.  Pinterest doesn't define a person, but it sure can be an interesting way to get a glimpse of their wishes and preferences.