Remember when all the numbered lists (top 10, three reasons) started to make blogs tiresome? When ubiquitous @s made Twitter overwhelming to scroll? When getting friended by your boss first made Facebook awkward (long before your grandma logged on)?
Those little fault lines were true moments of user design. Examples of what happens when we the people change how we use the tools of social. These growing pains shape the next generation of what that destination will be and who will stay to use it (while others wander away).
Pinterest is at its first fault line.
Its early adopters were cooks, designers and fashionistas. They posted beautiful garments, quirky finds, mouth-watering creations. These were people who loved the look of a thing. Who embraced the idea that a picture alone could inspire.
Then came the pet lovers, the crafters, the nest feathers. Each building a personal NotCot -their own curated collections of delightful things.
The third wave has brought words. Lots of them.
Some are harmless, trite successories. A few are long, winding infographics. Some are recycled quotes from long-lost artists. But, far too many are didactic little blurbs, randomly assigned a font and punctuated with bangers or single-word affirmations (truth, yes, amen, or simply a :).
A few recently popular examples repinned in my stream:
At some point, Pinterest became something between a doodled notebook cover and a scrapbooking store. Or, it created a new way we share affinity - a way we can vote for the philosophy about life/gender/parenting we feel most connected to. A new kind of like-minded microblogging that celebrates visceral reactions to both images and ideas.
It's an interesting, learn-worthy trend. But, not a shift I personally love. Perhaps I am too quickly nostalgic (in fact, it's possible that I'm reminicsing typing this even now), but I miss the pictures on Pinterest ...
What do you pin?
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