briefly: pinterest sucks
As I’m working on the pages for my OCs, there’s this important aspect that I’ve been having trouble with: how should they look, aesthetically?
I don’t just mean the layout - I’m pretty content with the faux-iframe design for desktop, which switches to a responsive vertical design after hitting a certain threshold. I’m moreso thinking style-wise: what color palette should I use? How should I design the graphics for the page? What design elements are important for the character the page is for?
So, I needed inspiration - I dusted off my old Pinterest account and made a couple boards for them. It’s fun! But I quickly remembered why I disliked Pinterest enough to stop using it.
First and foremost: holy shit, the ads! Half the posts I get recommended are solely ads. With uBlock Origin on desktop, my dashboard is 60% empty spaces, as if they are designated ad spots. On mobile, it’s a nightmare to navigate as it’s just ads on ads on ads. Shopping pins are nearly indistinguishable from regular pins on the mobile app. I’m surprised the app is barely functional at all.
Speaking of: man, is that app way buggier than I remember. Pins duplicate and disappear, comments don’t load, I’ve had some pins crash the app outright. I know most software nowadays is built on duct tape and prayers, but oof, no app could ever feel like it more than Pinterest. Sometimes when you click on one pin, it takes you to one totally different pin.
Another thing that bothers me is the sheer amount of unattributed content on that site. A vast majority of pins I come across have no credit, attribution, or anything relating to the source of the image. If it’s a TikToker, some go so far as to crop the username out outright. And it’s like, sorry their name isn’t #aesthetic but I need to know who posted it!
This is especially frustrating if you’re looking for similar, related content - plus sized male fashion TikTok user PoshHeat is incredibly popular for his fashion inspiration (and just being an incredibly cute fat guy), and way too often do I find his stuff pinned on Pinterest without his username anywhere to be found! And it’s like, dude, plus size male fashion inspo that isn’t the same three images from 2012 is a pain in the ass to come by, why remove the source for that? Astronomically frustrating.
I feel this issue is an especially problematic highlight in Pinterest’s slew of problems - especially with pins of art made by people - in that Pinterest pins appear in search engines. Art aggregators will search for artwork to share online, and find these pins from Pinterest appearing in Google Images. Then, when they go to repost it, they’ll put down “Credit: Pinterest” instead of the actual artist that created the art. Thusly, the actual artist who made the artwork is further buried, making it even more difficult to find who actually made the damn thing.
I think crediting is important- it’s a really simple thing to do with a lot of impact. Ideally, it’s best to reach out to the artist, let them know what you’re interested in doing with the art, and ask if it’s okay - sure, most of the time they will say yes, but it’s a courtesy, y’know? Maybe the art in question is a commission for someone and is intended to stay on their online portfolio. But regardless - giving credit where credit is due is important as it allows people to know who made the art, so if they want to see more of that art (or even want to pay the artist to draw for them), they know where to go. In an online arena where many artists and creators rely on business generated through the Internet, artists rely on attribution to run their business, their livelihoods are dependent on it - and even in general for artists simply sharing their art with no intention of taking commissions, this ensures people interested in their art can find it.
And it’s like, even outside of art, it just sucks! I want to know where these things come from! Who made that #aesthetic image of that book with some flowers in it? Fuck if I know! Ugh.