When thinking of social media, many people probably think of Snapchat, TikTok, or Instagram. However, these are only a few of the many online platforms that people around the world use to share pictures, videos, opinions, thoughts, or to connect with others. These platforms can be used as tools for self expression and communication that may not be able to happen in person.
There are many uses of these platforms, many of which are positive, but there’s another side to social media that’s full of unnecessary distraction. It’s not a new idea that being exposed to media that is targeted just for you — based on what you’ve liked before or what you’re interested in — tends to pull us in, causing hours of endless doom scrolling. It’s not just a few people who are having trouble with this; the average American spends around two and a half hours per day on social media, according to Exploding Topics — a company that explores trends before and as they take off. Being intentional with what you consume and where you spend your time, especially on social media, is extremely important as to not fall into the trap of doom scrolling — the action of endless scrolling many of us frequently fall into.
Pinterest is one of many underrated social media apps; it’s used more to improve yourself and promote creativity rather than cause disruption, including disruption to sleep, social life and school, which many apps do. Pinterest is a place for people to post and view other people’s pictures. With the accumulation of users’ photos, people make boards, or collections, of these photos and use them as inspiration for any aspect in life, like finding your personal style, trying new recipes, home decor or anything else you could think of.
When you first download Pinterest, it asks your interests, which are used to create your personalized feed. Then, after pinning your first few pins on a board, the feed will be shaped to accommodate your interests. It might seem similar to other social media, and, like all things, also has the potential to be distracting, but since it’s mostly meant as an inspiration app, it tends not to have that same pull that other apps do, according to the Pinterest home page .
Luz Culbert-Nusser, a junior at Franklin High School (FHS), expresses that Pinterest has greatly affected her life in positive ways. She started using Pinterest in late elementary school, first looking for meal inspiration, as she has always been interested in cooking. The following years she used Pinterest as life inspiration pinning style photos and pictures that represent her aesthetic. Culbert-Nusser is an avid user who recommends Pinterest to everyone. “I feel like it’s a helpful tool to find inspo,” she says.
While other social media platforms can cause stress and distractions, Culbert-Nusser finds that Pinterest has a totally different vibe: “I am always on TikTok and Instagram. I feel [some fear of missing out] from scrolling on these two apps, but when I’m on Pinterest I am inspired.” Culbert-Nusser continues, saying, “I will look at the pictures and want to make that or do that,” instead of the fear of missing out that she gets from Instagram or TikTok. It’s about how the app makes you feel; don’t spend time looking at photos and videos that make you feel left out or lesser than, but rather, focus on things that inspire you and push you to be the best version of yourself.
Besides just inspiration, a popular use of Pinterest is for self discovery. Ana DeBaker, a sophomore at FHS, describes her style as grunge, and has been using Pinterest since middle school. DeBaker says that it has greatly impacted her personal discovery and opened her up to so many different styles and options for clothing. She uses her Pinterest account for style and picture inspiration, often pinning photos of films, or more “edgy” photos. DeBaker shares that besides using it as a tool for inspiration, she enjoys using it as a relaxing app, to pass time, or to just go on it so she feels less stressed. “Pinterest helps me calm down, it’s my creative outlet,” she states. After a long day she enjoys opening the app to just unwind and bring some light into her night.
YouTube has been the place for makeup and hair tutorials for a long time, but they’re lengthy and take a lot of time to watch and copy. Samantha Helzer, a junior at FHS , uses Pinterest a lot, mainly as a tool for tutorials, whether that be for makeup or hair. “You can learn a lot from Pinterest, besides just photos there are actually videos that show you step by step how to’s,” she says.
As we learn more about the effects of social media, we should all be more cautious about how we are using it and of its impact in our lives. Make sure the videos and pictures that you look at every day are positively influencing your life, as being aware of the content you consume is a simple way to control that aspect of your life. Find apps that help you stay organized, and make you feel confident, productive, and happy when you’re on them. One social media platform that has greatly impacted many lives is Pinterest. So, if you are looking for cute hair ideas for a school dance, or Halloween makeup for your Spider-Man costume, Pinterest has it all
