What Is the Point of… Pinterest?

Whenever a trendy app comes along, there are people who ask, “What is the point of this?” If millions of people are using something, there has to be a reason. In our What Is the Point of… series, we’ll explain it to you.

This week, we’re asking, What is the point of Pinterest?

You’ve heard of it. You’ve probably seen it once or twice. But the one time you typed in Pinterest.com, hit enter, and were immediately assaulted by cupcakes, dresses and duvets, you bugged out immediately.

That’s an understandable reaction. If you fell in love with what you saw the first time you visited Pinterest, you probably don’t need this article. But with all this hype, there has to be some reason to use it, right?

Thinking In Pictures

There are actually many reasons, and Pinterest isn’t the same thing to everyone. But basically, Pinterest is an app for saving and organizing images. It’s also great for sharing your images with others, but you don’t have to use it that way. You can keep your boards to yourself, but the social part of Pinterest is also a great way to discover things visually.

A great study by Engauge recently broke down all the different ways people use Pinterest. People use it for visual inspiration, for wish lists, and for organizing and sharing ideas that are best expressed with pictures.

So don’t believe the hype. Pinterest is not just for planning weddings. You can make visual lists of all kinds of things, like album covers, your favorite apps, funny memes or favorite foods.