Pinning, performance and finding yourself in the age of social media

EMC Editorial - Out of all the social networking sites, Pinterest has got to be the most delightful waste of time.

Facebook is wonderful for keeping in touch with old friends. Or, more accurately, being passively informed of what old friends are up to by stalking their photos and status updates. Twitter is a magical space where followers will accept your shameless self-promotion without being put off, and marvel at your ability to communicate witty observations in 140 characters or fewer.

Pinterest is the new kid on the block, and I must admit that even after poking around on it for four months, its purpose is still a bit of a mystery to me. That doesn't mean, however, that I haven't been completely swept up by its difficult-to-define virtues. As a writer and tireless defender of the English language, I've never believed that a picture is worth 1,000 words. But what about 50 pictures that collectively represent your ideal wardrobe, or hint at what your dream kitchen would resemble?

I'm guessing that in the vast majority of cases, people don't actually go out and buy the outfits and dining room tables they excitedly pin to their style and home decorating boards, or bother to make the delicious-looking recipes pictured on their food boards. Yet there is something extremely satisfying about having a way of compiling and organizing your dreams and personal style in one virtual space - and, of course, giving others the opportunity to admire your impeccable tastes.

Perhaps the appeal also lies in the possibility of self-discovery. The other day, I pinned an astute print to my "words, words, words" board that read "getting dressed in the morning would be a lot easier if my Pinterest closet were real." It made me think about the outfits, hairstyles and makeup looks I pin on onto "my style", and how different they are from what I actually look like on a daily basis. Usually, I can be found wearing jeans or casual dress pants with some sort of sweater and little makeup other than mascara, eyeliner and light foundation, my hair half-blow-dried and parted down the centre.

Pinterest has reminded me that my ideal style is actually quite girly. I love flowing dresses, fun prints and cute hairstyles involving braids and whimsical, flyaway waves. True, I have yet to buy or try out any specific outfit or style I've pinned, but it was an examination of "my style" that inspired me to embark on a quest to find a pretty maternity dress to wear to my baby shower. Sure, it may have been a hopelessly impractical purchase, but I felt really good wearing it for half a day.

Unsurprisingly, men don't seem to understand Pinterest.

"What are you doing?" Steve asked me last week as I was scanning through pages of nail designs.

"Pinning."

"What's that?"

"There's this website where you can, like, pin stuff. Pictures you like, things like that."

"But why?"

"I don't know - it's kind of like scrapbooking, but online."

"Oh," he said, wrinkling his nose.

Then I found a recipe for sweet potato fries that looked a lot like the ones we both love from Harper's Burger, and Steve appeared at least temporarily won over.

"That's the secret? Coating them in cornstarch first? I can do that!" he exclaimed.

So far, it's the only recipe I've pinned that we actually went on to try, and it was really good. Not Harper's Burger good, but I'm guessing that's at least partly because these were baked as opposed to fried. Or it could be that the secret isn't cornstarch after all. Either way, the fries are sure to become a staple in our house.

So perhaps it's about inspiration, self-discovery and smugly showing off your excellent sense of style all rolled up into one. To be honest, I'm not sure I'll ever be able to nail down the exact appeal of Pinterest. All I know is, I'm hooked.