Confessions Of A Pin-It Girl

There was a time long ago when that magical land of the Internet was a place devoted solely to youth. Where careless Facebook uploads and embarrassing e-mail addresses were apparent to a limited audience. But the culture has changed. I know this from personal experience, as it was my own mother who introduced me to the latest social media craze. Pinterest.com, a virtual bulletin board image-sharing database, offers a portal of creative expression to a diverse body of users. From the interior designer who pins images of bedrooms to the inspirational quotation enthusiast who pins the sayings of Dr. Seuss (among others), Pinterest allows for image surfing across all genres.
 
And it is not just individuals maintaining the site. Major designers like Lily Pulitzer and Michael Kors utilize Pinterest as well as famed department stores like Bergdorf Goodman. A recent article on dnainfo.com explains how Pinterest has become a Mecca for New York City fashionistas especially with Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week kicking off on February 9. Pinterest, in its ability to bridge the gap between celebrity and (for lack of a better word) commoner, is strikingly similar to Twitter.
 
Though perhaps labeling Pinterest as a social media vehicle is a bit of a misnomer. For me, the experience is not very social as I am merely searching through images to add to my own pinboard, there is no real communication required though some might invite conversation. It is the “re-pin” button (pinning from someone else’s pinboard) that could be viewed as “social” and the “follow” option (following someone or one specific pinboard) that reflect on trademark social media attributes. 
 
When my mom invited me to the waiting list (yes, there is a waiting list. For weeks, I waited for a spot while my one friend waited four minutes. It’s an exclusive digital mechanism, you see.) I had no idea how incredibly addicting it would be to sift through the thousands of photos that pop into your newsfeed (Facebook language but the same idea on Pinterest). It is a truly visual encounter with diverse subjects as well as diverse users and I highly recommend it. If you like 1960’s fashion and truly feel out of place in this millennium, you’ll enjoy all the vintage photographs, fashion, prints, postcards, etc. It’s like a walk down memory lane, two streets down from the Information superhighway. Your mom will probably like it also.