Lada Semakova -- Aiming for Perfection: The Pinterest Platform and Rise of the DIY Movement

The General Topic
The collaborative platform of Pinterest allows users to create personalized profiles. These profiles allow users to collect, organize and share images that align with the user’s preferences. Adding an image to a personal profile is called “pinning”. Pinterest allows members to explore a broad range of categories including but not limited to: fashion, crafts, cuisine, travel destinations, interior design, art and fitness. Among this wide array of visual material exist a substantial amount of posts, which encourage users to recreate the projects at home. Many users engage in this recreation process. The replication of Pinterest posts has given rise to the so-called Do It Yourself (DIY) movement.

The Importance of Pinterest & DIY Culture
The DIY movement is a form of collaboration. Individuals with similar creative interests worldwide have the ability to access identical information, execute the instructions and then share the results. This process sparks unity. Any individual interested in using Pinterest images is able to do so, because Pinterest images are copyright free. However, credit is given to the original contributor through a hyperlink located beneath each image.

Comments are also encouraged. Members can alter the captions associated with “pinned” images to personalize them and contextualize their existence within their personal account. Users looking to participate in the DIY culture on Pinterest are inspired by their saved selection. The images are usually strikingly perfect.

All aspects of Pinterest images are polished. From the angles and lighting of the photographs, to the subject matter’s crisp execution. Attempting to replicate such flawlessness poses a significant challenge. DIY users aim to achieve perfection.

This lucrative concept of perfection is dangled in front of the users faces every time they log on. The sight of it is intimidating in and of itself. But the concept of recreating these ideal images is even more daunting. The fear does not stop the users however. They put forth their best effort and are hopeful that their parmesan zucchini sticks will turn out exactly like the ones they added to

their "Foodie" folder two months beforehand. But as the timer buzzes, and the hopeful user pulls the tray out of the oven, instead of the succulent golden green pieces of zucchini, they see burnt and somehow simultaneously soggy shrivelled up noodles of green goop. One can't help, but feel defeated on some level.

The concept of perfection is embodied through the showcasing of ideal imagery, but also through the concealment of failure. Professor. Morgan Leckie from the University of Ohio believes that Western society encourages the hiding of error. She states: "[What] we “ought to hide” often includes our failed attempts at perfection—our sagging pineapple upside-down cakes, un-toned arms, and ... children’s birthday parties with which we are forever disappointed” (2015). This pressure to succeed and share the success through exhibition manifests itself in social anxiety and worse yet, is perpetuated by other media as well.

The Research Focus
This study will document the pressures and gratifications of the Pinterest DIY project execution and sharing process. The research will focus on how the DIY phenomenon is impacting the Western notions of perfection. Whilst investigating this phenomenon, the negative pressures associated with being exposed to idealized imagery will be considered, as well as the impossible expectations imposed on users attempting to recreate them. However, the positive effects will also be explored by analyzing the cathartic practice of sharing DIY mistakes with others on communal forums, such as: Pinterestfail.com, Crafster.org and sub-forums like Reddit DIY Fail.

The Method
The preliminary stage of my research will involve a textual analysis of scholarly sources regarding the Pinterest platform, the DIY movement and the 21st century Western concept of perfection. After the completion of the textual analysis the scope of the study will be expanded. The data collection process will advance by relating the information to specific examples from the 3 websites mentioned above (i.e. Pinterestfail.com, Crafster.org and Reddit DIY Fail). Lastly, the research process will also include tangible evidence in the form of a personal attempt at completing a Pinterest DIY project. This will allow for the comparison between personal experience and the documented experiences of other users. This part of the investigation will strengthen the overall understanding of how this online community functions.

The Importance of the Research Focus
The phenomenon being explored is significant in its ability to unify individuals on a single platform, normalize standards of perfection and stimulate conversation among members of both similar and conflicting views.

Contextualization of Topic in Broader Concepts
The collaboration of users on Pinterest is just one example of how specific Internet-based platforms transform the ways society interacts and alters social norms by generating content. The motivation behind participating in DIY culture is both communal and individualistic. The individualistic drive is often based on goal attainment—the aiming for perfection. Professor Buote and her team of researchers in their study of modern cultural norms state that individuals being dissatisfied with themselves is so common that it is referred to in the scientific community as “normative discontent” (2006). Buote’s research links this discontent with a constant exposure to idealized images in the media. Likewise, Pinterest images force users to compare themselves and their achievements to the highly edited and professionally photographed images on the Pinterest platform. This leads to dissatisfaction, which can only be alleviated by discrediting these pressures.

The sharing of mistakes associated with DIY projects achieves exactly that. “Pinterest fails” use humour to alleviate societal pressures associated with not conforming to pre-set standards. In this way, the existence of DIY sharing forums aids individuals in overcoming their fear of failure—a practice that could not have been possible prior to the existence of online interaction.

The final paper will address the relationship between Pinterest as a sharing platform, DIY Pinterest culture as a means of attempting to reach faultlessness and the sharing of DIY errors as a cathartic practice.

The Bibliography
Buote, V. M., Cressman, K. E., Strahan, E. J., & Wilson, A. E. (2006). Comparing to perfection: How cultural norms for appearance affect social comparisons and self-image. Body image, 3(3), 211-227.

Holmes, K., Greenhill, A., & McLean, R. (2014). Creating communities: The use of technology in craft and DIY communities of practice. Journal  of Systems and Information Technology '', 16(4), 277. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSIT-05-2013-0018''

Jassawalla, A. R., & Sashittal, H. C. (2015). Why Do College Students Use Pinterest? A model and implications for scholars and marketers. Journal of Interactive Advertising'', 15(1), 54-66. doi:10.1080/15252019.2014.956196''

Leckie, M. C. (2015). Undo It Yourself: Challenging Normalizing Discourses of Pinterest? Nailed it! Harlot, 14(1). Retrieved from http://www.harlotofthearts.com/index.php/harlot/article/view/296/183

Maxwell, K., & Stangler, D. (2012). DIY Producer Society. Innovations, 7(3),  3-10. Retrieved from: http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/INOV_a_00134.