Well, the SMILE thing is extra irritating because it's usually a gendered thing. Nobody tells men to smile. But it's definitely true about boredom. I can't even remember the last time I was bored, since if I have a sock in my handbag, any delay is an opportunity for MORE KNITTING.
I have to admit that I'm guilty of thinking WHO HAS TIME FOR THAT?! when I'm browsing Pintrest. Seriously, though, some of the crafts scream Bored Housewife. "I spent 6 hours making intricate little labels for every Mason jar in my kitchen!" Okay, awesome, except Mason jars are CLEAR and you can clearly see that there are peanuts inside the one you just labeled. I never say anything to the Pinners and I would never say anything to someone I say crafting in person (I get similarly annoyed when I'm reading my Kindle and someone randomly insists that I must have lots of time because who has time for reading?!), but it's a Pintrest pet peeve of mine. It's like everyone on there is competing for Home & Gardens Housewife of the Year or something. But I guess if making intricate labels and painting a tree on the dining room wall with pictures of her kids on the branches makes that Bored Housewife happy, then it's fine
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Interesting thought. Mostly I hear the "too much time" complaint from people who are, say, in med school. (Veterinary school in my case.) They genuinely don't have a ton of free time, for a while, and that while can seem pretty long when you're a few years in. In these cases, the gripe is really about that, not about whatever craft the random Internet person has produced. I'm OK with that kind of usage, I guess
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Ha! Too true. I manage to take multiple sets of bottle-baby kittens per semester, and then I pet other students' dogs and say something about how I "don't have the time" to raise and train my own dog effectively. Sure I don't -- as long as I keep choosing to use that time to bottle-feed kittens (and, y'know, study and go to class) instead!
It's only 'too much time' when the project is of no interest to the beholder. No matter how silly or useless a project might be to someone else, it obviously is important to the person making it.
My personal beef with Pinterest is that it seems to bring out the glorification of consumerism in so many people. All the waste I see in tips for busy moms, or outrageous party/holiday decorations and the like makes me feel ill. How cheaply one can buy crap and turn it into something "pretty" is a big theme. I never seem to see pins that promote responsible use and reuse of our own resources. I'm sure they are out there, but the 1000 uses for ziplock bags is much more popular.
People half a world away live in abject poverty and make the crap that one can buy at the dollar store. But hey, if I can spray it with metallic paint or Mod Podge it,that's ok!
Ha ha--rant away. There are eco and recycling boards--I'm tapped into some of those. But a rl friend pointed out that my personal Pinterest world is very different from the norm, as I've curated a feed of mainly feminist, body-positive, alternative DIY and art stuff. So: it is whatever you make of it.
As a business person, I also wonder about the "glorification of consumerism" standpoint. All the retail research shows that while Pinterest is great at driving up hits to your site, those hits translate to purchases at a far smaller rate than facebook links or direct ads. It's a huge audience, but it's a non-buying audience. I wonder, namely, if it isn't partially an alternative to shopping, supported by our reduced economy. People can no longer afford to buy all the stuff they want, but social media provides us with ways to placate our shopping impulses for free, while still using fashion and home decor and our presumed good taste as "signaling" to others.
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The only people who have too much time on their hands are people who complain that they're bored.
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I mean, really: who the hell has time for vet school? ;)
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My personal beef with Pinterest is that it seems to bring out the glorification of consumerism in so many people. All the waste I see in tips for busy moms, or outrageous party/holiday decorations and the like makes me feel ill. How cheaply one can buy crap and turn it into something "pretty" is a big theme. I never seem to see pins that promote responsible use and reuse of our own resources. I'm sure they are out there, but the 1000 uses for ziplock bags is much more popular.
People half a world away live in abject poverty and make the crap that one can buy at the dollar store. But hey, if I can spray it with metallic paint or Mod Podge it,that's ok!
Oops, sorry for the rant
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As a business person, I also wonder about the "glorification of consumerism" standpoint. All the retail research shows that while Pinterest is great at driving up hits to your site, those hits translate to purchases at a far smaller rate than facebook links or direct ads. It's a huge audience, but it's a non-buying audience. I wonder, namely, if it isn't partially an alternative to shopping, supported by our reduced economy. People can no longer afford to buy all the stuff they want, but social media provides us with ways to placate our shopping impulses for free, while still using fashion and home decor and our presumed good taste as "signaling" to others.
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