Finding
my way through Pinterest
-By
Kate Crompton
Image
1: (Eric, 2000)
By looking at a map we,
as the map reader, will usually assume that the map is a realistic
representation of the space it encompasses. This is not necessarily true, as maps
are designed for a specific purpose. As Wood et al (2006) explained “Every map
is a purposeful selection from everything that is known, bent to the mapmaker’s
end. Every map serves a purpose. Every map advances an Interest” (Pp 4). The
same can be said when looking at the virtual space design of Pinterest.
I have connected the
Pinterest design with the reading of Maps because just like maps, Pinterest
serves a purpose that may not always represent reality, and as Gaylene Barnes (Barnes)
explains “Cyber space exists only as a cognitive map”, (1997). For example, on
the Pinterest search engine I typed in Wales. Every image that came up from this
search was a beautiful, green, sunny, Welsh countryside. Now don’t get me wrong
Wales is a beautiful country however, from my perspective, these images are not
an accurate representations of Wales. Anyone who has lived or even visited
Wales would know that it rains for 80% of the year and is overcast the other
20%. I was born and lived in Wales for 12 years, therefore I feel like I have a
firm grasp of what it is like in the countryside of Wales. The images on
Pinterest are not there however, to show the reality of the Welsh weather. It
is there to sell it to the individuals who are searching for places to travel. Pinterest’s
purpose is to encaptivate you with images, which is aided by the wed design.
The design of Pinterest
was made to be encaptivating to the virtual participant. Similar to Benjamin
Walter’s concept of the Flaneur, but not exactly identical, the individual can
window shop in this virtual space without necessarily being seen by other participants
(Barnes, 1997). The webpage is encaptivating
by keeping to relatively simple and safe colours like white and Red, whilst the
images they display are powerfully colourful in contrast. Images are a very
powerful tool that can be utilised in a number of ways tedtalks.com (Griffin,
2008). For Pinterest, images are ways that not only enable the sharing of ideas,
concepts and places but sell them as well. By clicking on an image placed on
Pinterest you will be shown to another virtual space where you can see how that
idea, concept or place came about. It connects real live spaces with virtual
spaces so that individuals may explore buying or investing money in real items
that are represented in the virtual image. For Example, a participant may click
on an image of a bookcase they like, and it will take them to the page where
they can find that bookcase and have the option to buy it for themselves.
By briefly exploring
Pinterest within the scope of looking at it as a virtual map, it can be argued
to be almost a virtual arcade similar to the ones developed in France. However,
unlike the French arcades I have not yet found any unplanned design flaws that
allow for the Flaneur like characters (Kuttainen), but this is something that may be discovered in the coming weeks (2017).
References
Barnes, G. (1997). ‘Passages of the Cyber Flanuer’.
Otago University. Retrieved from http://www.raynbird.com/essays/Passage_Flaneur.html
Eric, S. (2000). Mapping Cyber Space (image). Retrieved
from http://www.mappingcyberspace.com/gallery/colourplate2abc.html
Griffin, D. (2008, February). David Griffin: How
Photography Connects Us (Video File). Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/david_griffin_on_how_photography_connects#t-4869
Kuttainen, V. (2017). BA1002: Our space: Networks, narratives and the
making of place, lecture 4: Maps. [PowerPoint
slides]. Retrieved from http://learnjcu.edu.au
Wood, D. et al (2006) ‘Chapter 1: The Multiple Truths
of the Mappable World’. In Seeing Through Maps: Many Ways to See the World.
(p.p 1-12). Oxford, UK: ODT Inc
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