If you live online like I do, then you know that the latest popular social media site addiction is Pinterest.

What is Pinterest?

Pinterest is a virtual pinboard.  Back in the day, I used to tear out pages from glossy magazines and put in them in my “if ever” pile… If I had time, I would spend lazy Saturday afternoons organizing those ripped out pages into binders, slip them into some plastic covers and look at them.

For example, how did I want my future dream house to look like?  What was my favourite outfit?

Having these pictures in one spot was a way for me to organize and remember what I wanted.  Like a designer having a scrap book, or photographer having a portfolio, but now my favourite images could be saved and viewed online.

Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes.

Best of all, you can browse pinboards created by other people. Browsing pinboards is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests.

This new site is on fire right now!  Why do people love it so much?  Pinterest is Pretty – you enter the lovely world of beautiful images and almost escape the daily routine.

Organizing your favourite things by category, going back and looking at them, dreaming of that designer dress or vacation spot… I can see this being almost dangerous.

Although the escapism is wonderful, how many of these “things” can we really have?  We can all hope and dream for bigger things – but is it almost putting us into the danger of the unattainable, the feeling of “never-being-satisfied” and “always wanting more” that is the nature of the human beast.

I could go on and on analyzing it all but I’ll just leave it at that.  If you enjoy Pinterest for what it is (and a time suck it surely can become), it can be a pretty fun way of organizing and sharing things you love.

We knew it wouldn’t be long before somehow marketers found a way to use Pinterest for brand and business.  The lovely organic nature of Pinterest we only had the pleasure of knowing for a few short  months will soon be populated by brands… which will likely take away some of the site’s allure and charm.

I’m also wondering what happens when people repost Pinterest images on their own website without giving proper credit… would this be considered copyright infringement?   Here is a great article I found online called Pinterest: Good or Bad for Bloggers and another on possible copyright theft.

What are your thoughts on Pinterest?