Metadata, a system of information recollection or recording is used everywhere around us. We are in a period where everything we do and see is pretty much recorded one way or another, especially on social media sites. In most cases we do not even realize the extent of our information being collected and processed. Being an architecture major, I search for design inspiration everywhere I go. The easiest and fastest method is through the Internet. One particular site called “Pinterest” offers thousands of pictures related to the topic or word you type in the search bar. Like Facebook and Instagram, sites which are known as the most used for the gathering of metadata, Pintrest sorts and collects an array of information through people’s posts, likes, and “hashtags”. The information offered by Pinterest is a public resource that all can use to search the web for specific images. Websites like this have large archival systems that allow users to browse using their words of preference, or browse a randomly generated selection of images. One can type in “interior design” and an array of images with those words in the description will pop up. Not only will the image appear, but if you click on the picture, it will take you directly to the source of it. An article by TechNews states that Pinterest’s “[…] guided search will help you discover when you didn’t know how to ask for things to begin with.” This site is a creative way of searching for images that interest you and also have a chance to browse its original source.
Many users don’t realize that Pinterest it is indeed a large archive of metadata. Every picture a user posts must have a description, original links, and must be categorized within select word choices. Pinterest also allows users to share the image, store it in their “board” for others to see, e-mail it or even share it on another social media site. As described in the Getty article “Introduction to Metadata”, metadata has a couple primary functions. By “liking” or sharing the information provided on Pinterest, the user is recycling the metadata, it is reusing it and posting it on their behalf, and also preserving the image by doing so.
Pinterest indeed contains a large amount of metadata, it allows users to interact with this data and reuse it in the digital world. Websites such as Pinterest are attractive and user friendly which explains their popularity yet behind the easy to use interface is a complex system of information and data being customized to the users preference.
Links:
- http://www.techtimes.com/articles/6081/20140425/pinterest-puts-metadata-to-good-use-with-guided-search.htm
- http://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=interior%20design&term_meta%5B%5D=interior%7Ctyped&term_meta%5B%5D=design%7Ctyped