While other social media networks were created to facilitate rapid sharing and instantaneous responses, this visual discovery engine was built quite differently. In 2010, the biggest social bookmarking platform’s co-founder Ben Silbermann, realised that people tend to save pictures, articles, links, and any other material that would help them at a later stage.This insight helped create Pinterest – the platform, which enables its users to keep all their visual ideas in one place through its unique board function. Pinterest is used for storing everything from recipes and fashion ideas to holiday trips, home décor, and craft projects. It gives the opportunity to its users to gather and sort all visual information via boards, which might be both public and private.Why do people tend to collect thingsThis need is linked to the human nature that goes way back into our past. People tend to collect various objects and information they feel would be helpful for them in the future.Pinterest was successful because it managed to turn the habit into a more organised experience. Instead of saving things through messy screenshots, bookmarks, or folders, all materials could be saved into themed boards. Pinterest cleaned up digital clutter without making information inaccessible.That is also the reason why Pinterest feels different compared to other social media platforms. While it is more focused on sharing thoughts, Pinterest is primarily about creating personal collections.Pinterest boards turned random ideas into structured plansOne of the most crucial functions on Pinterest is the board function. It structures ideas that will otherwise fade away in endless scrolling sessions.A tourism-oriented study published in PMC about Pinterest showed that users put effort into organising their boards for planning future trips. Similar behaviours exist in other categories as well.Boards for wedding planning, food, workout plans, room decor, gardening, and potential purchases in the future are popular on Pinterest. Often, such collections include ideas that might not become actualised right away. Yet, people would like to be able to access those ideas when needed.The personal nature of Pinterest stemmed from its ability to create collections privately or publicly. The former option could be more appealing to planners who needed some help, while the latter attracted casual users looking for inspiration.
How a simple user’s behaviour helped build Pinterest. Image credit – Wikimedia
Pinterest linked browsing with future decision-makingAnother strength that made Pinterest so resilient is that it caters to delayed decision-making. People tend to save things before needing them. A user can store recipes before having a dinner party. Someone might save interior ideas before purchasing their first home. This is where Pinterest can provide its help by creating collections that can be accessed when needed.As discussed by scholars researching Pinterest’s architecture, pins are considered saved content which one can return to or reorganise later on. The term describing that process is anticipated use.It worked with the way human beings tend to reason. Most people do not make snap judgments. They gather information, analyse data, and circle back to information and ideas often. The key to Silbermann’s thinking was understanding that actions taken on the Internet did not necessarily have to be fast.A more reserved and curated social networkPinterest also earned itself the distinction of being a relatively tranquil place. It didn’t try to encourage regular posts and status updates like other social networking sites did. That made for an atmosphere quite unlike most others emerging in those times. The simple idea that makes Pinterest successful because it all started from an extremely simple observation of common human behaviour. Ben Silbermann noted that people loved saving things. Numerous research findings confirm this instinct. Pinterest made it easier and more productive. The ongoing success of the social bookmarking engine proves that sometimes the best technological ideas emerge out of a thorough understanding of ordinary human behavioural patterns. Silbermann was not the one to create the need to save things. He just created something for it.