Social media has two main components. There’s media, and there’s the social aspect of said media. Some apps are more of one than the other; Snapchat is primarily social and Instagram is somewhat of a blend.

On the predominantly media side lies Pinterest: a stunning dreamland of organization and all things aesthetic rolled into one ideal app. 

A common theme among social media platforms is seeing only the highlights of peoples’ lives, but Pinterest is different. Pinterest isn’t nearly as individual-based, leaving less room for the negativity that comparison often plagues apps with. On Pinterest, the user simply ‘pins’ images they like with no regard to who published them.

That being said, Pinterest still contains most of the common components of a social networking app. Individuals have the ability to follow others, see who follows who, comment on ‘pins,’ and message others through the app. Every now and then, I’ll come across a superficial argument in the comment section of a pin, but that’s about as toxic as the app gets. Although each profile on Pinterest has a follower count, most choose to not pay attention to it. Unlike Instagram, Pinterest doesn’t rely on the follower count as an indispensable part of the app’s content. The only relevant piece is being able to follow accounts that share interests with the user.

Pinterest is perfect for those who love romanticizing their life. Often, one glance at someone’s Pinterest profile is all you need to gauge their personality—as long as they actively use it. Being able to visually understand someone else’s favorite things and how they see the world is an alluring quality of the app. 

Social media and technology tend to be associated with teenagers and young adults, which limits the range of the app. But, Pinterest has something for everybody. Pictures of your favorite celebrities? Inspiration for your latest project?  Your wildest dreams in visual form? Check, check, and check. I’ve made countless vision boards on Pinterest so I can precisely see my ideal future planned out.

There are seemingly endless uses for Pinterest. Unlike most social media platforms, Pinterest has a purpose. The most common utilization of Pinterest is inspiration, and as the user starts pinning, their feed is personalized with similar pins to what their boards contain. While many apps have this feature, Pinterest has the most accurately curated one I’ve come across. Each pin I see in my feed fits into one of my already existing boards like a missing puzzle piece.

Within my boards, you’ll find a variety of pins with some underlying theme or reason for their grouping. When organizing them, there’s the option to create sections and maximize the organizational quality. Some of my boards look better without sections, but others would be a cluttered, chaotic, inefficient mess without them. Sections help to neatly condense boards so there’s not an overwhelming plethora of similar ones clouding the screen.

Pinterest is the quintessential one-stop shop for any aesthetically pleasing photo, inspiration, or simply scrolling to no end. It has practical, convenient features and removes the worst parts of social media for a perfect, stress-relieving, well-organized platform.