Pinterest: Are We Killing Individuality?

Pinterest has long been perceived as one of the more harmless social media platforms, a digital landscape dedicated to creativity, inspiration, and personal expression. However, upon closer examination, does it instead pose a subtle yet significant threat to individuality and self-expression?

Pinterest for me tends to be my biggest escape digitally. Pinterest presents itself as a highly personalised digital escape, curating visually appealing and aesthetically harmonious. Which are always tailored to my preferences making it feel very personal and aspirational. I personally have never felt that addiction to stay on Pinterest for hours in the same way you can do on TikTok and Instagram which are actively designed to keep you glued to your phone for as long as possible. Pinterest have actively spoke out against the addictive nature and damaging effects of social media. 

However, when critically examined, Pinterest is one of the more janus-faced platforms. While providing inspiration does it not in turn create an environment of aesthetic homogeneity? Due to the content being algorithmically driven can this then be posited that it is simply reinforcing pre-existing trends. This echo-chamber of ideas can be said to have stifled our own individuality in self-expression especially when it comes to style. Consequently, rather than discovering new and unconventional aesthetics, users are encouraged to conform to an increasingly narrow spectrum of visual trends. A lot of the ways we use Pinterest is to ‘recreate’ rather than take elements of inspiration, furthering this erosion of individuality when it comes to self-expression.

Moreover, I think we’ve seen the death of subculture with the increased use of social media. It has made it easier for mainstream trends to quickly absorb and commodify elements of subcultures. This idea results in the blurring of boundaries between subcultures and commercial fashion, making style more predictable. Styles promoted are generally more widely accepted aesthetics. While fashion and aesthetics have always drawn inspiration from the past, there feels a certain stagnation in fashion especially after the Pandemic. 

I think going forward we must bear in mind that the app shows you what it thinks you want to see. So being more proactive in seeking your own inspiration is essential. I have recently started saving pins of outfits with pieces of clothing that are very similar to the ones I already own. It means I can focus on what I already have and stop the feeling that I am not ‘trendy’ or keeping up with the latest styles. It also prevents me from feeling the need to go out and buy clothes that I do not need and instead finding that same dopamine in playing around with what I already own.

Bear in mind that style communicates to those around you who you are and not what your Pinterest feed looks like. 

Try being your own inspiration - you might like what you find!