Social media is no longer the low-stakes playground it once was: The most intense part of being on Instagram used to be choosing between a Kelvin or Valencia filter. Now, arranging 10 totally imperfect photos for your dump and editing a year-end scroll will shock users. When X was called Twitter, it was a place to joke about what you had for dinner; not a cesspool of unnecessary trending topics. TikTok is no longer a dancing app — some say it’s a national security threat. Pinterest provides a much-appreciated respite when people are tired of constantly absorbing other people’s lives, ideas, and comments. Now, users battling burnout and public opinion fatigue say this is the corner of the internet where they can truly relax. ~
The image sharing and saving site launched in 2010 and is known for being a haven for fashion inspiration, dreamy decorating pictures, and DIY tips. In the 14 years since, as social media has increasingly come to dominate our lives, its audiences have felt like a reprieve. In a 2023 study from the University of California, Berkeley, researchers found that daily interaction with inspirational content on Pinterest reduced stress and burnout during exam times for some Gen Z college students. In the company's first-quarter 2024 earnings report, they said revenue grew 23% year over year, double the previous quarter's growth rate.
Interestingly, Pinterest users have shared how much they love the app on other platforms. In February, 19-year-old Ayesha Lynn posted a TikTok with the caption: "I love Pinterest. No drama, no conversation, just pretty pictures and vibes."
She considers the site part of her self-care routine. "I put on some music and browse Pinterest. Whatever finds me, finds me. Whatever I find, I find," she tells Bustle. "I use it to relax."
This anti-social approach to social media is something users won’t find anywhere else.
“[Pinterest] is inherently inward-facing because you’re collecting content for yourself. Instagram and TikTok, on the other hand, are outward-facing. On these platforms, you’re essentially performing for an audience, and the success of your content depends on How much they like the content you post,” says digital marketing strategist Phoebe Dodds. When it comes to Pinterest, she says, "Forget about vanity metrics."
“If I want to see puppies all day long, that’s what I see.” — Megan Thee Stallion
There is still a community on Pinterest, albeit a more positive, action-oriented one rather than keyboard warriors riding the hate bandwagon or people trying to get likes in the comments section. Jessica Morrobel, a lifestyle content creator with nearly 175,000 followers on TikTok and Instagram combined, prefers the experience of using Pinterest, where she has a relatively limited but loyal following 15,000 followers.
“I like to call [Pinterest] the golden retriever of social media because it feels like a safe space,” she says. "I don't see any negative comments [on my page] at all."
Andréa Mallard, Pinterest's chief marketing officer, said that's by design. "We're not 'reaching through outrage'. The content that's distributed the most on Pinterest is the content that's been saved the most. That's very different from having the thing distributed the most get the most responses," she said.
Flash-in-the-pan moments like Pookie and Jett or Reesa Teesa-level saga would never happen on Pinterest, and that's not what users want either. They prefer to see something pretty on every reel, like Megan Thee Stallion.
"If I want to see puppies all day, that's what I see," the rapper said at an Advertising Week event in May. She deleted Instagram and Twitter from her phone but kept Pinterest.
Users say the content shown to them on Pinterest represents them, thanks in part to innovative search tools that recommend fashion and beauty based on a user's skin tone, hairstyle and body type. This makes it easy to get concrete advice and inspiration available. Additionally, Pinterest banned all weight loss ads from the platform in 2021, while other apps continue to offer “thinspo” and body-check content.
Pinterest’s algorithm doesn’t encourage a “more is more” mentality. "I don't feel pressure to constantly update my audience in real time," Morrobel said. "There's no pressure to create or appear in stories every day, so that's definitely a relief for me as a creator."
Elsewhere on social media, healthy boundaries are almost the antithesis of successful branding. People who post GRWM and daily life vlogs generally get more airtime and followers - exposing this will quickly make you an FYP darling.
But there's a nostalgia for the simplicity of old-school social media—whether it's the yearning for MySpace to create its own aesthetic or the candor of Tumblr in 2014. Pinterest offers similar energy. You will not be tempted to purchase anything through sponsored links. There are no quick tricks to making Pinterest go viral, since content that uses buzzwords, trending hashtags, or inflammatory comments doesn’t satisfy the algorithm. You can just scroll and relax. Best of all, you can exist in your own online bubble without worrying about joining conversations you never asked to be a part of.
“A lot of people have something to say on other social media platforms, whereas on Pinterest everyone is minding their own business,” Lynn said.
Other apps continue to fall out of favor—2023 has been dubbed the "year of Twitter[X]'s death," while TikTok's year-over-year growth appears to be declining as of February 2024. Interestingly, both sites thrive on retweets, replies, and comments sharing, comment section conversations.
In an ever-evolving online landscape, Mallard hopes Pinterest continues to thrive as a platform for self-exploration without creating additional noise.
“We want to be an online place that encourages people to imagine the possibilities of their own lives, not just watch other people’s lives or argue with people or be distracted and forgotten,” Mallard said. “It turns out we’ve become a rare option.”
