The Student News Site of Sonoma State University

Sonoma State Star

The Student News Site of Sonoma State University

Sonoma State Star

The Student News Site of Sonoma State University

Sonoma State Star

Not all fun and games: Pinterest puts users to work

exc-545ba59ae4b04f070d4e2f56
exc-545ba59ae4b04f070d4e2f56

Whether you use it or not, Pinterest is a familiar term to many in this day and age. From fashion to DIY and house decorating, it would seem as if Pinterest has something for everyone’s interests. 

It’s even a useful tool for mapping out items and projects that you want in your future. That said, some question if Pinterest sets you up for success or epic failure. 

Personally, I use Pinterest daily. I often use it to fight off boredom. It’s just such a habit to log on and look at the recent pins from my “favorite” pinners. The site often inspires me to be more creative and crafty. I have received most of my inspiration for crafts and decorating from the website. 

There are cheap and easy gift ideas for any occasion that provide useful ways to save money as a college student. 

The site isn’t only about fun and games either. Pinterest has saved me many times with tips for stain removal or cleaning tricks that I would have never thought of otherwise. I have learned fitness and healthy eating tips along my Pinterest journey as well. It’s safe to say I have had nothing but positive experiences with Pinterest.

Considering Pinterest offers a variety of different options for “DIY” (do it yourself) projects it is easy to get caught up in the project, resulting in a Pinterest fail. 

There are websites that show pictures of Pinterest fails for comedic purposes. For example, the designs you can do on your nails often end up in fails considering it often takes painstaking precision and patience to do nail designs accurately. 

Some fail at redesigning or refurbishing furniture of any sort, most likely because this is a large project to take on and Pinterest often makes every project look very simple and user friendly, when often it takes patience and time that most people don’t have, along with crafting abilities and experience. 

I think when using Pinterest it is important to take the following precautions. First, ask yourself if you have the time and the correct tools to complete a project. Second, ask yourself if it is really something you can complete yourself.

Pinterest makes everything look so simple, it’s easy to get yourself in too deep.  Make sure to take on one project at a time because looking through Pinterest can often lead to overwhelming feelings. After all, there are so many cool projects to do.

I think Pinterest often intimidates people if they have experienced a Pinterest fail in the past. In all honesty, they should remember everything else that it offers. Although there are websites portraying fails, there are also websites sharing success stories. 

I recently saw an article that explained how a man pulled off the perfect proposal and wedding for his wife by looking at her “perfect wedding” board on her Pinterest website. He looked at everything she had pinned in this category and followed her wishes and surprised her with everything she had pinned. It’s safe to say that she was impressed.

For all the current or future pinners, my advice for utilizing Pinterest correctly would be to slowly start with projects you know you can handle until you get more practice. 

If using Pinterest for projects is something you aren’t interested in then I highly recommend looking at all the other things it has to offer. I guarantee you will be pleasantly surprised by what you find even just browsing through Pinterest.

Donate to Sonoma State Star

Your donation will support the student journalists of Sonoma State University. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.

More to Discover
Donate to Sonoma State Star