Is Pinterest just for girls? - FOX19.com-Cincinnati News, Weather & Sports

Pinterest is now the third most popular social network behind Twitter and Facebook.

It's known for its do-it-yourself projects, recipes and design suggestions. People can post, or "pin," their own pictures or copy links from other websites.

But a Clemson University class, as they explored the new online pin board had an important question: Is this the first major social network meant just for girls?

Every hand went up in the emerging social media class at Clemson. Assistant professor Jason Thatcher said it's the only technology he's seen where students have "an actual emotional response on both sides." He said he's taught at Clemson for 10 years and never noticed such a strong gender divide.

Pinterest, launched just two years ago, is a social network that lets users follow your friends from Facebook and Twitter, and it's all pictures. Many of those do relate to craft ideas, wedding and home décor, recipes or fashion.

Chris Carroll, who is in Thatcher's class, said it was purely female oriented and that "there's nothing on it for guys."

Thatcher tried to change his class' perspective on the site by assigning them the task of pinning Clemson sports pictures and athletic wear  to draw a more masculine audience. But the guys in the class were not interested and were actually uncomfortable with having to sign up for the assignment.

Carroll complains that "there's no substance to it, it's just a photo."

But Greenville social media savant James Akers said the fact that it's just a photo is the draw. He looks at the site when he's bored, but he said he's gotten good ideas from it, including quotes and recipes. Akers said he's got male friends who re-pin everything from photography to workout tips.

Pinterest representatives said the site doesn't track users by demographic, but social media tracking sites confirm that at least 60 percent - some gauge more than 80 percent - of Pinterest users are women.

Thatcher said it's a daydream mentality that may appeal more to female users.

"This is a fantasy world," Thatcher said, "Facebook is me talking about things that I actually do, or things that people I know do. This is about the potential."

Akers thinks there are major misconceptions with the site. He said people, or guys, who don't use Pinterest don't really know what it's about, and that once they do, more people will use it.

When asked specifically if the site is meant for a female clientele, Pinterest representatives said, "We see Pinterest as something that's useful for everyone in the world - male or female. The act of collecting is a universal behavior. People who initially discovered Pinterest were largely women who were pinning for hobbies or activities and they attracted like-minded 'pinners.' However, we believe our demographics will shift over time as more people discover the many different ways in which Pinterest can be used. Just as Facebook initially appealed only to college kids and is now ubiquitous, we believe Pinterest's appeal will evolve to a broader and more demographically diverse audience."

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