Pinterest: USA vs UK [Infographic]
In a recent journalism class at City University London, my professor was polling the students who used different types of social media. As a lover of all things Internet, I raised my hand as he asked in turn who used Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Delicious, Instagram, YouTube, Tumblr, etc. My classmates used these platforms as well, but I was surprised to be the only student who had an account on Pinterest. Even my professor had never heard of it, so, as the only American in the class, I tried to explain it — even that proved to be easier said than done; perhaps because it means something different to everyone.
I’ve become used to consistent Pinterest shares from my friends via Facebook, Twitter and email since about a year ago, when the site was launched. My friends are always sharing a new craft, clever photograph, or fashion idea through Pinterest’s option to bookmark (or “pin”) favorite pictures and articles to personalized, self-assigned category “boards.” After realizing this was an especially American phenomenon, I became interested in researching statistics for who used the site and for what.
I found this Visual.ly infographic breaking down exactly that:
Source:Visual.ly
Needless to say, this is an enormous statistical difference. Most surprisingly, in my opinion, is that the majority of UK Pinterest users are wealthy men interested in venture capital, PR, web stats and design. Consistent with the statistics, my American friends who use the bookmarking site seem to be almost exclusively female and interested in crafts and fashion.
How Pinteresting!
Read more about social media in education.
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Technically in the US Pinterest is invite-only also, but you can now request one opposed to finding someone to send you one. I find this really interesting-- particularly because I've worked in Social Media and am an American (in America) that is grossly addicted to Pinterest. I of course have my boards dedicated to crafting, fashion, and gifts, but I have also found it incredibly useful for organizing my links, photos, and graphs concerning urban planning and design-- which has become one of my most followed boards. I think Americans are really missing the mark on the potential for Pinterest as an SEO and virtual engagement tool because the reputation of Pinterest here is that it's the venue for girls to plan weddings with men they haven't even met yet. ha. Clearly the UK understands that potential a bit better, but it's certainly something to learn from. It's still a very nascent platform, after all-- still time to shape its use and its image.
Part of the reason for the low UK figures is that it's currently invite-only.
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