My problem with Pinterest

I have been wanting to write this post for a long time.

Let me start by saying this: I like Pinterest. It is a valuable, amazing resource. When I first opened my Pinterest account, I wanted my mentality toward the site to reflect intentionality and purpose. I also intended to limit the time I spent on the site. Instead, this happened:  

Click on the image for its source.

That psychotic little dude is me. Seriously. I just don't seem to have the self-discipline to use Pinterest in the resourceful way that I intended. My binges on the site have affected me in a strange, almost inexplicable way. I talked to two of my friends, Annie and Donna, who use Pinterest regularly and also happen to be tremendous thinkers. I am compelled to analyze this, to write about it, to speak truthfully about the website that I have mindlessly plunged into.

1.  Does viewing the pictures on Pinterest cause discontent in me?

Annie said something to this effect, "Pinterest is a virtual world in which we pinners can live vicariously. We can design our dream life, and it puts us in greater control of the story than reading cheap fiction. It feels more interactive and real than reading a book, but in the end, it is just as fictional." She and I agreed that Pinterest can quickly become an "outlet for our discontented spirits."  It is virtual self-improvement. Most days, I am fairly dissatisfied with my clothes and with my ability to style my hair. (Seriously, who has time for those elaborate fishtail braids?!) If I am flustered with my look, I can create an alternate look on Pinterest. A better one. My pins can scream to the world, "See? I have great taste!" I find myself pinning more, more, more... more beautiful images to label as my own, as an extension of myself. The pins reflect who I wish to be.

Now, Pinterest doesn't affect everyone that way. For Donna, the site just gives her inspiration for projects. Sometimes she actually gets up and does starts the project right then, or else she'll scribble the idea down on a notepad. Intentionality. Purpose. She writes, "If Pinterest arouses a sense of discontent in you, is it a godly discontent or an ungodly one? If it inspires you to pursue improvement in good ways, ways that are healthy and God-glorifying, it is good."

2.  Is there something else I should be doing with my time?   

My honest answer is, "Yeah, usually." There are many books and blogs that I could be reading, plenty of projects I could be working on, letters to write, recipes to try. Donna agrees, "I have come to enjoy the feeling of accomplishment at the end of a day more than the temporary pleasure of indolence." 

Now, what?

Well, I'm not deleting my Pinterest account. Not yet. I did remove the bookmark from my browser to put the site "out of sight, out of mind." I'm also approaching my time on Pinterest by asking myself, "What do I like about this image, and what does it say about who I wish to be? How can I actually employ this idea, rather than pinning and forgetting?" I told Annie, "I think it's possible to be a participant and a critic."

What has your experience with Pinterest been like?