by. Andria Lyons
Facebook and Twitter better step aside because there is a new social media site on the block. Pinterest has put a new spin on social media by making their site more than just comments provided by other users. Pinterest has made its mark and is moving up the social networking ladder.
Essentially, Pinterest is a virtual bulletin board for sharing images. This site allows its users to surf through thousands of pictures that will then link them to the website from which the pictures came. When a user is interested in a specific site, they “pin” the picture to one of their own category boards.
Who is Pinterest targeting? While Facebook and Twitter focus on the age demographic, Pinterest takes its targeting strategies to a different demographic. Gender. According to mashable.com, a site dedicated to social media research, Pinterest is female-dominated with 68.2% of its users being women.
While Pinterest contains 33 different topics to choose from, Food & Drink, Women’s Fashion and Weddings are among the most popular in regard to pinned items. “It has a bunch of different, creative ideas that I wouldn’t necessarily think of on my own and they’re all in one place,” said Senior Katie White.
From recipes, to wedding invitations, to the latest fashions, Pinterest covers all areas that women may want to seek out new ideas on. “Oh my gosh, I love Pinterest. I’m on it every day!” said Junior Sarah Herman. Sarah was not the only person to react this way when Pinterest was brought up. The Washington Post actually printed an article that called Pinterest “digital crack for women.”
With the Pinterest App for smart phones, women can be found “pinning” just about anywhere. “I go on Pinterest all the time because it’s always with me. I’m on it in class, in my room while I’m attempting to do homework, and when I’m just bored and have some time to spare,” said Junior Abbey Chandler.
Pinterest’s focus on women of all ages has created a longer lifespan for the site. “I look at the clothes and cooking stuff. When I’m older, though, I will probably use the home décor sites more. I look at it now, but it doesn’t apply to me as much as it will later,” said Junior Amanda Peters. Women are not only pinning things that apply to them now, but also things that may apply to them in the future as well.
Pinterest’s ability to constantly upload new pictures and websites will also help the site’s lifespan. “I think Pinterest will last a long time because it will always be able to keep up with whatever trends are happening. It’s not something that will fade away when the trends fade away,” said Peters.
Pinterest has actually passed Facebook statistics in regard to how long the average user is accessing the site. Pinterest users spend an average of 15.8 minutes on the site at a time, while Facebook averages 12.1 minutes, according to mashable.com. Pinterest has shown great progress since its launch in 2010 and has become the place to go when creativity is needed. “My room is filled with ‘Pinterest Projects’ and Pinterest is always the first place I go when looking for a new recipe to try,” said Chandler.
The Pinterest site has created a digital outlet for women to share their interests and ideas with women just like them. It is a place filled with new recipes, organizational tips, beautiful quotes and so much more.
