Today I’ll be discussing the ins and outs of this popular app. It’s nothing new, but I recently discovered how novel and how useful Pinterest can be.

I’m still quite new, but I know that Pinterest can appear quite intimidating to the newest users, so I’ll just share what I know about it after using it for about 4 months now.

A Structureless Structure – How to Consume on Pinterest

I love how Pinterest is a way to create as you consume. To use Pinterest, you scroll through the different images that other people have uploaded to Pinterest and you “Pin” them to your own profile. Within your profile, you can sort these Pins into Boards with different topics, and within these Boards you can create Sections. The beauty is that you pick the topic, whether or not you’d like to share it with the world, and if you want anyone else to be able to Pin ideas to your Boards. As someone who positively adores folders inside folders inside folders and hyper organizing information, I loved this customization.

The organization also creates barriers. Sometimes you come across something trendy and funny, but as you reach to pin it into your boards you’ll realize that you haven’t created a category for something fleeting that serves you no purpose. Gone are the days of saving things “just in case” because it forces you to realize there is no “case” in which you use this information.

There’s also options to create your own collages, your public (or private profile), and promote products this way. I don’t own a business, but I’ve heard the Pinterest audience is a great market because its consumers come ready to buy. Anyone who stumbles upon your content will have intentionally done so.

Pros

A New Second Brain System

A lot of productivity hacks include creating what’s called a “second brain”. A second brain is essentially a system you rely upon to keep track of your life and your tasks. This is especially useful in the current age of constant information bullets shot through your screen. All those Tiktoks and Instagram reels filled with recipes that you’ll never make, movies and shows you forget to watch – that gets sorted into your second brain.

What differs Pinterest from a regular second brain system like Notion however, is that it’s relatively easier to Pin things. Pinning things saves them to your profile, your boards, your personal digital space. Pinterest is a blank canvas, which makes it both intimidating and exciting. You can Pin webpages, Pin short videos; there’s so many options and all of them are fast. Also, it builds much faster since you’ll be building it as you scroll, whereas something external like Notion has to have intentional navigation every time you find something cool you’d like to save.

There’s Something for Everyone

Pinterest has so many users, and like most popular social platforms, can become incredibly niche. The central concept behind Pinterest is to give people ideas, and therefore it has to appeal to all sorts of people with all sorts of ideas. You will find something that suits you.

Create as you Consume; Intentional Consumption and Consciousness

Since you’ll be looking at things that interest you, and you intentionally pick the things that you’ll look at later, you are consuming intentionally. Unlike scrolling, when you usually can’t remember the video you watched two Tiktoks before the one you’re watching at the moment, Pinterest narrows categories down so well you’ll know to pick the best ideas in each category because you’ve looked at them so long.

Creating boards and sections as I scroll is probably the most productive I’ve ever been while scrolling, because I’m not just mindlessly recognizing novelty; I’m actively making connections between what I see and its relevance to my own life. This makes it a wonderful alternative to doomscrolling; it’s still scrolling, but it can be more productive and genuinely useful.

Cons

No Novelty

Pinterest likes to show a lot of what you tell it you’re interested in. For example, if you only search “morning routine” it’s likely to only show photos of people drinking ice water while it’s dark outside, motivational quotes about working hard, and lists discussing the “most” efficient morning routine. It won’t show you anything else much, even related topics like closet options or morning commute podcasts.

This often dulls the novelty aspect of scrolling through the app. But is that really a con? I think we all need a little less scrolling anyway.

Potentially Toxic

Because at the end of the day, extremist points of view get the strongest reactions. Like any other social media platform, it’s important to stay out of the rabbit hole. A lot of Pinterest is focused on self-improvement, wellness, and fitness; these are great, but since Pinterest tends only to show more of the same category you’ve already shown interest in it’s easy to get lost in a narrow point of view.

• Try to research multiple different topics of interest; it helps the algorithm push a variety instead of extremist content
• Take content with a grain of salt; most of the content is created by people who are willing to do a lot to make money off of your consumption

Too Many Notifications

When I had my notifications on default mode for Pinterest, they spammed my inbox regularly with a ton of ideas for each of my boards. My phone was positively seizing, and it annoyed me greatly. Luckily, they do have an easy fix; just change up your Notifications Settings manually and alter notifications to your preferences. If you just leave it though, you will also be lost in a sea of endless pinging.