Entering 2024 with the new year goal of deleting Instagram, I quickly needed to replace this scrolling I used to rely on as downtime. I found myself on Pinterest almost every night since going off Instagram before realizing it was more than just a replacement for social media. I discovered that Pinterest could help me align with my other New Year’s goals, chase my creative side, and destress all in one. So… Pinterest is my new social media- and here’s why it should be yours too.
Constantly using social media, I get absorbed into comparing myself with others, as I’m sure many of you other social media users do. Especially with our generation, it’s impossible not to compare yourself to people who are constantly posting what seems to be the coolest things or wearing what appears to be the most incredible outfits. It’s a toxic cycle that destroys our confidence, mental health, and sense of self. In my opinion, Instagram is the worst culprit of this comparison, which is why I made it my goal for 2024 to go off of it. In contrast, Pinterest can seem similar to Instagram. Pinterest is a collection of all the most aesthetic pictures, ranging from cute relationship pictures to unique travel and fashion pictures. However, I have found that absorbing all of this input has the opposite effect as Instagram. Instead of comparing myself, I see myself creatively making boards I hope to live out in the future or taking inspiration on how to incorporate new styles into my fashion sense. The anonymity of Pinterest, in the way that I’m not constantly looking at the content of my friends or people I know, has allowed me to remain mentally detached from the pictures. I never find myself looking at Pinterest pins and feeling jealous that the image isn’t my current life scene; instead, I find inspiration in it. I see the possibility of living a life like that, traveling to the beautiful places I see in pins all over Pinterest, so I add it to another board.
My boards have become a collection of hope for me, a safe space. I can rely on Pinterest to express my creativity and allow me to make boards such as future flat inspiration or fashion ideas. Creating boards, whether serious inspiration (like for my future flat!) or my dream wedding venues, has allowed me to embrace my inner child and adopt a new sense of dreaming. There’s no one telling me my boards aren’t good enough or cool enough; they just simply are what I want them to be. I can create a wedding Pinterest board, and no one can tell me it’s unrealistic or childish. I can dream however I please.
Pinterest boards have also allowed me to pursue my goals further. I have a board dedicated to different health meals I can easily recreate in a dorm kitchen, inspiring many of my meals over the past four weeks back at university. My travel board has also tied into my motivations, as I’ve always had a drive and passion for traveling and discovering new places. Seeing pictures on Pinterest has offered me new insights and ideas about where I want to travel over the next couple of years and has helped me plan my upcoming summer! I have also adopted a new habit of making boards for places I have scheduled to travel to. As I went to Copenhagen and Florence last semester, I created boards for each city, which allowed me to discover new, niche places in the cities to visit and amped up my excitement for the trip. Looking forward to my spring break trip to Spain, I have a board with over 50 pins, which has allowed my anticipation to grow as I add more and more pins to the board. It’s thrilling to incorporate creativity and personalization into reality.
As someone who has always been creative, I found myself a bit stuck at university, without a prominent outlet to express myself. Pinterest has become this outlet and has allowed me to be creative in an easily accessible way. I can rely on Pinterest to wind down before bed or destress after school work. It doesn’t require a massive amount of focus or brain power, which is what I love about it so much. You can also collaborate with your friends on boards, which allows this creativity to become a community in a way. The flat inspiration board on my Pinterest has become a collaborative effort with my future flatmates, which has only strengthened the group’s excitement for our future and has allowed us all to have a say in what will inspire our future living space. Pinterest has fostered this new outlet where the interest is less about posting to show things off, a factor that removes a lot of the stress around this social media. The focus is placed more on posting things of interest and inspiration, something that will tap into someone’s creative side. There is no pressure to post your own photos or have the best feed, Pinterest is an app that serves your discovery and creativeness, pressure discluded.
Not only can Pinterest offer means of inspiration, it can facilitate learning, whether about art, culture, fashion design or even history through the many cultivated feeds it offers. In looking at one feed, you can come across fashion photoshoots, 90s advertising campaigns, exotic New York Times art and radical editorials that you may not find in a casual scroll on Instagram, or any other social media. Pinterest can feed a niche interest you hold, or help you discover that maybe you are passionate about something (maybe it’s collage or those 90s advertising campaigns you keep adding to your boards). Helping to grow these side interests not only helps you develop your passions within life, but creates a more well-rounded, inspired person. Maybe adding pins to your board is the first step to this discovery.
Pinterest is far more than we give it credit for! Give it a chance if you want a new creative outlet, a different way to relax, or even motivation to chase your goals.