Module 6: Pinterest as Visual Content Aggregator

I have created a habit of collecting TED Talk links from Twitter - thanks to MACT, I am a TED Talk convert - and indulge in some periodical binge-watching.  A TED Talk by Eames Demetrios gave me the thread I was looking for when approaching this week’s assignment, as I find Pinterest beguiling in the positive and the negative.  

Eames talks about the passion of his grandparents (Charles and Ray Eames, creators of the Eames chair) to capture stories of motion/change/evolution in their furniture design.  

(Herman Miller Eames Chair, n.d.)

Eames also shares movies created by his grandparents – the movies were actually compilations of many different yet thematically related motion pictures, laid out in squares, each of equal size.  Eames notes that the intent of this cinematographic style was to allow the viewer to scan these compilations simultaneously in order to derive an overall theme, thereby strengthening the impact of the message on the viewer.  He noted that this was a Gestalt approach, entirely intriguing and not at all dissimilar to Pinterest’s GUI.

(Bobcotton, 2012)

Gestalt theory is derived from the careful arrangement of objects or shapes to represent a “’unified whole’” (The Gestalt Principles, n.d.).  Gestalt theory “attempt[s] to describe how people tend to organize visual elements into groups or unified wholes when certain principles are applied” (The Gestalt Principles, n.d.).  In short, it explains why some people can see Jesus in their toast.

(Powers, 2014)

I find that Pinterest, like Google+, facilitates users storytelling in Gestalt form. According to this infographic, storytelling is compelling to consumers.

(Gillett, 2014)

As a teacher, I am also a marketer, selling concepts that I need my business communications students to buy into so that they can communicate professionally in the business context.  Story pervades in all facets of business, from report writing to sales, strategic planning to accounting (I hope the last is based on a true story).

I have used Pinterest before and absolutely LOVE its visual stimuli – however, knowing I could spend ENDLESS amounts of time on it, I have sworn off for the time being...until now, that is. 

The Sociabilities diagram Jessica embedded on the last slide of her Pinterest exposition PPT was very useful in explaining the process of curating content for an online audience; it is similar to the writing process of planning, drafting, and revising for publication. As such, I decided to base my Pinterest board on the #selfie: in preparation for our next assignment, I’ve developed an aggregate for my thesis as part of my selfie-paper writing process. 

  Follow Lisa's board The #Selfie and Its Spinoffs on Pinterest.

Pinterest's universality in access and application is compelling but can also be overwhelming, much like seeing all of a book's pages at once.  If approached with Gestalt theory in mind, though, one can easliy see the story - not only in the pins but in their overarching theme and message the pinner conveys.

Finally, as a nod to Peter Morin's rant on the misuse of curation, here is a scene from CBC's new comedy Schitt's Creek, Episode 2 - The Drip:

"Heady stuff" indeed (CBC.ca., n.d.).


REFERENCES

Bobcotton. (2014, June 2). Ray and Charles Eames: A communications primer 1953 [blog post]. Retrieved from http://mediartinnovation.com/tag/film/

CBC.ca. (n.d.). Schitt's Creek: Episode 1X02 - the drip [video file]. Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/schittscreek/episodes/season1/the-drip

The Gestalt Principles [web page]. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://graphicdesign.spokanefalls.edu/tutorials/process/gestaltprinciples/gestaltprinc.htm

Gillett, R. (2014, June 4). Hit the ground running: Why our brains crave storytelling in marketing [blog post]. Retrieved from http://www.fastcompany.com/3031419/hit-the-ground-running/why-our-brains-crave-storytelling-in-marketing?partner=rss

Herman Miller Eames Chairs [photograph]. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.thecitrusreport.com/upseen/tag/eames-chair

Powers, L. (2014, May 6). See Jesus in your toast? It's perfectly normal, new study says [blog post]. Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/see-jesus-in-your-toast-it-s-perfectly-normal-new-study-says-1.2633549

TED. (2007, February). Eames Demetrios: The design genius of Charles + Ray Eames [video file]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/the_design_genius_of_charles_and_ray_eames?language=en