Pinning the Interest in Pinterest

Words are my life. Stories are my inspiration. So, will Pinterest really keep my interest?

The winning film of the Oscars was a surprise. How could a silent, black and white movie, win in the era of 3D and visual effects? Especially, when the norm in cinematography seems to be pushing boundaries in technology. So does visual/silent trump words?

Seriously, who could have predicted that Pinterest – a virtual pinboard – could drive more traffic for marketers than Google+, YouTube and LinkedIn? Is its success related to pictures? Or is it just a brilliantly simple idea that took off because it was different? My money is on the latter. While millions of people and marketers were offering essentially the same thing packaged differently – Google keywords, SEO, videos on YouTube – Pinterest decided to go down the path less travelled and create their own path.

So, should we assume that a picture is worth a thousand words? The writer in me still adamantly says “No”. Even though an image can seemingly get the message across in a quicker way, words can evoke a million images in your mind – and for every reader the experience may be uniquely differently. To me, that’s more powerful.

However, Pinterest could be interesting. It definitely peeks my interest.

One thought on “Pinning the Interest in Pinterest

  1. We continue to be subsumed in an increasingly visual world that –thanks in no small part to technology– entrances us with the power of pictures be it via high definition “3D” spectacles. However, the overt emphasis on all things visual –whether it be something new like Pinterest, something borrowed like vacuous like reality television, or something blue like three dimensional adult viewing– does nothing for the nourishment of the cerebral cortex. The power of words requires thinking and it is thinking that has helped the species to become the dominant inhabitant on planet Earth. Great writing that moves, evokes, and enlightens will be there long after Pininterest ceases to exist and is but a fading memory.

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