When Did Facebook Become Pinterest?

Lauren Williamson | @LaurenEW90

When I log onto Facebook, I used to know what I was in for.  Some aimless scrolling through my newsfeed of general status updates about what everyone was doing, friends posting self-shot photos or event invites.  But more and more often, I notice friends posting a different kind of status update.  What once was a post about their plans for the evening has changed into posts detailing the recipe for their ideal summer snack, or a step-by-step guide for crafts involving boxes of crayons and a hairdryer. And that’s when I realized it: Pinterest had taken over Facebook.

Perhaps it’s a numbers game.  Facebook does have over a billion users while Pinterest is only at 48.7 million.  When you find something particularly exciting on Pinterest and want to share it, Facebook may be the way to get it out to a wider audience.  Or perhaps it’s the opposite.  Why deal with dozens of Pinterest boards and different categories, when you can post it to Facebook for quick retrieval in the future?

This isn’t the first time cross-contamination has been seen in social media.  Remember when someone on your Facebook feed realized they could link their Twitter account?  Not pretty.  Truth is, different social media platforms have different uses and different audiences.  For example, rapid-fire text information is well suited for Twitter over the more visually-oriented Pinterest or Instagram.  Finding the balance of what quality and quantity of information to post to your social media enhances audience following and loyalty.  Now whether you want to build a following of foodies, cat lovers, or anything else you want is up to you.

So, what do you think?  Has Facebook become a hall of fame for popular Pinterest posts, or is it just clogging your feed?