PART A
The purpose behind Pinterest is that it is a marketing tool. A person shares a “pin” on their “Pinboard” and their followers/friends can view it and re-post it. The “pin” contains the original link and the company can track what items are being shared and desired. From an educational standpoint Pinterest holds the ability to inform and supply the public with access to a wide range of topics. For example, I learned about environmental digital waste in the “New New Media” Course. When I started browsing through Pinterest I was introduced to multiple resources that were directly linked to their original context. (Pearce & Learmonth, 2012) I felt that I had various resources at my finger tips. We will now look at how Pinterest can be used as a critical tool for environmental digital waste.
As I learnt how to create my own “Pinboard,” I was inspired to learn more about environmental digital waste. I found the information easy to obtain and simple to understand. Pinterest opened multiple doors to explore the subject of environmental digital waste. I was able to learn; who, what, where and how. I learnt that many of us create environmental digital waste and that our waste goes to third world countries and it floods the environment with waste. I also learnt what I should do with my digital waste. There are many companies that recycle digital waste to prevent the waste entering landfills in other countries.
While I continued to create my “Pinboard” I felt that a “Pinboard” would be an excellent educational tool. In my literature review I found that educators are recognizing that the Pinterest platform encourages learning in and outside of the classroom. (Pearce & Learmonth, 2012) A Pinboard is essentially a glossary of original contexts all on one poster board. Therefore Pinterest does hold pedagogical value for formal and informal learning. (Pearce & Learmonth, 2012). Creating a Pinboard allows others to access your “pins” and they are then able to “re-pin.” Plus all those that have used the pin will be alerted. Not only does this create an opportunity for someone to teach/learn something Pinterest can also create a community of experts on the common topic together. I found Pinterest to be an encouraging tool that leads one to explore many areas of one topic. (Pearce & Learmonth, 2012)
I found using Pinterest to be an excellent educational tool to help the public learn about environmental digital waste. Unfortunately the platform “Pinterest” itself adds to environmental digital waste. The data is stored in data centers, which uses a lot of energy and creates massive buildings that have to always have power. Pinterest is using Amazon Web Services (AWS) which allows them to buy the storage as they need it (Morgan, 2012). This does not remove their carbon foot print but it allows them to use what they need when they need it. This is better than buying their own data centers, because they use the storage when they need it. (AWS, 2014) Say for the month of December the site was not accessed much they would not require as much storage. Although January had a huge spike in users and data, using the AWS allows them to keep up with the demands. Pinterest grew faster than any other social media platform, if they did not use AWS they would have crashed and may not have been as successful as they are to date.
Why did Pinterest grow faster than any other social media platform? I believe that once someone knows how to use Pinterest they have all the resources in the world at their finger tips. Although it does create waste the AWS reduces their carbon footprint. Pinterest is a poster board with all the poster parts just waiting to be posted so the public can learn. I was inspired to participate in others’ Pinboards as well as to create my own Pinboard. We see that Pinterest has many uses, although I feel it’s most valuable use is as an educational tool. For if you are learning about a new product or how to lower your environmental digital waste, you hold the control and the ability to participate in your own learning and to inspire others’ participation.
References
Amazon Web Services. (2014) What is Cloud computing. http://aws.amazon.com/what-is-cloud-computing/
Morgan, TP. (2012) Revealed: Inside super-soaraway Pinterest’s virtual data centre. The Register. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/04/30/inside_pinterest_virtual_data_center/
Pearce, M. & Learmonth, S. (2013) Learning beyond the classroom: evaluating the use of Pinterest in learning and teaching in an introductory anthropology class. Journal of Interactive Media in Education. (12) 1-10.
PART B (OPTION 1)
1)The first video introduces what a pin is and the value behind a pin. It tells us the main reasons why Pinterest is of value to a company. Firstly, Pinterest provides “customer insight,” what they want, why they want it for their targeted audience. Costumers choose the images they what to use to reflect their pin. This gives the company insight on customer opinion. “Clicking on customer’s Pinboards is like having a market research spy-cam.” Finally, Pinterest is beating all other referral websites combined, making Pinterest the most desirable marketing tool to date. I chose this video to help explain that Pinterest is a marketing gem. It is a gem because it holds the power of not only as a marketing tool but as an educational tool that reduces environmental digital waste.
2) The second video shows us how Pinterest is an excellent educational tool. It educates us how to pin, and how our pin is linked to a website that reveals more detailed information. Pins require a picture or a video that is linked the original website. We can pin, re-pin or like other pins and put them on their own board. Any pin always has the ability to be re-pined on another’s Pinboard. The ability to pin with others allows the public to create a community of expertise in a certain topic. All topics are available via Pinterest. Which allows the user to have access to multiple resources. This shows that Pinterest holds the ability to search a wide range of topics. It holds the ability create, collect and share pins and to create a learning network. This video supports that Pinterest holds is an excellent educational tool for research and self-learning.
3) The third video is important because it lets reader know that although Pinterest is a valuable platform it also creates waste. I learned about environmental digital waste while using Pinterest. In order for Pinterest to function it requires data which comes from a center. Data centers consist of a building will hundred thousands of servers. For the public to use Pinterest they require the use of technology in the form of laptops, smart phones, tablets and etc… These technology gadgets are disposed of far too quickly. This waste is causing harmful effects to the environment and to us as living beings. Exposure to the chemicals and metals used for these technology tools are toxic. Especially Lead, which can cause infertility, anemia, miscarriage, hypertension, stillbirth, and death. This video informs the public to maintain and use their technology till they are not usable, think before you add to environmental digital waste problem.
4) We then look into how much waste Pinterest creates itself, what waste could a platform produce? Pinterests waste would come from data centers. Data centers require a lot of energy to run causing a large carbon foot print in our world. Also data centers require hundred thousand servers to run. Which when they break down will be sent to third world countries, causing harmful effects to the environment and human beings. As I continued my research I found that Pinterest is helping lower their carbon foot print. Pinterest uses Amazon Web Services instead of owning their own data center. The AWS video teaches us that this service is more effective than owning one’s own data storage. For AWS lets you buy the storage you require when you require it, and give back the storage when they do not need it. You are only charged for the storage that you require. I feel that AWS is similar to a Bank; money is available when you require it, and you can leave money with the bank in which they lend to others when they need it. When someone needs more money they are charge an interest rate when they do not have the money. AWS owns many data centers all over the world, same as the major banks. When one requires money/data it comes from other parts of the world to fulfill the need. One would be limited or over charged if there was only one data center/bank available. AWS lowers the carbon footprint by sharing the data storage from all over the world when people need it. This prevents people from buying more storage than they require causing waste since they have the ease and availability of AWS. This video teaches us that Pinterest does not own a data center it prevents waste with AWS.
5) Some could say that if Pinterest did not use AWS the platform could have easily failed. This is because the platform sailed faster than any other platform to date. As Ryan Park informs us AWS holds the ability to turn on servers when needed and turn them off when not needed, this prevents wasted energy. They let AWS control the storage, and use what they need when they need it. Ryan believes without AWS they could not have controlled the demands of the platform. AWS in turn lowers Pinterest’s carbon foot compared to other data centers due to ability to share, power down and only use what they require.
6) The final video is a quick overview that links to the final paragraph to why Pinterest is popular not only the people but also to the environment. Pinterest is similar to a scrapbook and or poster that you add images and information about a specific topic. In the past we used to cut out interests’ and paste them to a scrap book or poster. This caused a lot of waste of trees, for trees are used to create the paper these are printed on and posted on. We then improved by saving our interests onto a floppy and then to a CD then to a USB port. These data storage are now becoming obsolete at a rapid speed. Since we now use cloud computing for data storage. Pinterest limits environmental digital waste by using AWS that allows them to use what they need when they need it. Pinterest is the new improved way of searching, collecting and sharing information to the world. It was a critical research tool for me when I was self-learning about environmental digital waste. It helped me gain access to various original literature and media about environmental digital waste. It also allowed me to connect with others interested in environmental digital waste.
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