Social media in general has created this "keeping up with the Jones" mentality, that before Facebook crawled into the college scene was not this big of an issue. Before social media, we could only compare ourselves with the people we actually knew, or celebrities we saw in magazines. Then again, the celebrities never seemed reachable; but the Nike shoes my friend had on did.
Blogging has been around since the 90's, I am totally guilty of having a website them. Who on earth can remember what it was called, but I remember having one. When Facebook come on the Internet scene my freshmen year of college I was now able to see what my friends were wearing and doing at the drop of a hat...and from quite some distance.
When we got engaged blogging had become much more than it seemed to be in the 90's, plus the website design was much easier and more efficient. It was an easy way to keep in touch with family and friends while we were planning, I didn't put anything on Facebook about it. As far as wedding blogs were concerned, they all seemed out of reach. So, instead, I crafted and figured out how to, on my own, recreate these amazing things people were making...without DIY instructions that are so readily available in these social media days. I wold scour Etsy for ideas, if I couldn't afford to purchase it I would just devise a way to make it. I spent hours upon hours making things I had seen in magazines and on wedding sites for a fraction of the cost to buy it.
Without social media my wedding would have looked very different.
Twitter and Instagram hit the social media scene much later, but they never had the influence that I think plain Jane blogger have. Unless you put up something amazing, I am not compelled to run out and purchase it. However, it you blog about how great a product is, and you're a blogger I trust...I am about 90% likely to buy it.
Pinterest on the other hand has done wonders for the blog world. Thanks to that site posts that would disappear from my main page within a few posts, unless bookmarked by readers, are now pinned and repined. Essentially posts are now kept from disappearing into the blog vortex. My page views have doubled and tripled over the past year or so on Pinterest. With the increase in page views and readers I have been able to do more sponsored posts and make a tiny bit of money from it.
Pinterest has influenced my personally by giving me recipe ideas that had they not be published in Southern Living or in a cookbook I already owned I would never have seen. DIY projects I had to figure out on my own, are now provided with how-to blog posts. I've gotten decorating ideas, discovered new products, and found new ways to save money in our home. Probably one of my favorite things about the site is the style pins, clothing items I couldn't figure out how to style have been revamped and I've learned just how to style and shop my closet a little bit better.
I can easily see how women get intimidated and feel like they aren't good enough because they don't hand make every single item their family comes in contact with. I personally would love to garden, can food, and make every meal completely from scratch with foods I mostly grew myself; but it's just not all that doable these days. I can't put myself down because my house doesn't look like someone else's, we just aren't at that phase of life yet.
So instead of putting yourself down because you aren't like everyone else on Pinterest, or even the blog world, just take away what you wish and have fun. As a blogger remember that Pinterest can be free marketing, so take advantage of it. Use technology for what it is for bloggers, a fun way to connect and get new inspiration and ideas!
Source: insidetheloop.tumblr.com via Katie on Pinterest
