While the online world may be full of toxic imagery and unrealistic expectations — and social media platforms are being scrutinized for their role in all of it — Pinterest wants to shine a light on the positive ways platforms can highlight emotional well-being.
"Pinterest's entire mission is about bringing people inspiration to live a life they love," said Pinterest head of philanthropy and social impact Ariel Simon. "And, one of the first things that kind of we realized is that to live a life you love, you have to have a self you love."
To date, the company has spent more than $6 million on mental health initiatives. Products like compassionate search, which suggests helpful activities and resources when people are looking for troubling keywords like anxiety, are built into the platform.
Recently, it held "Pinterest Havens: A Whole Mood," a New York event meant to bring a mental health awareness Pinterest board to life. Activities included sound baths, talks about emotions, and even planting your intentions literally with seed paper, soil, and a tiny terracotta pot.
"So much of life isn't exerting false or toxic positivity, but living into the various emotions you feel and learning a little bit," Simon explained.
Several studies have linked longer use of social media with depression, especially in teens, as well as lower self-esteem and social anxiety. But platforms can also be used to find common ground with others. Pinterest searches for emotional awareness are up 22 times compared to last year, and users looking for quotes about mental struggles are up nine times.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, one in five Americans has been diagnosed with a mental health disorder.
"It's a pandemic beyond anything that we understand," said Mental Health Coalition's chairman and founder Kenneth Cole. "I've also come to believe that it's, in fact, probably the oldest pandemic known to mankind, and at the same time maybe the newest, as it's been exacerbated because of COVID."
The Mental Health Coalition worked with Pinterest Havens to bring awareness to the importance of emotional health. Cole, known for his namesake fashion line, tapped his experience of using marketing to bring awareness to the AIDS crisis of the 1980s.
"The stigma can be overwhelming," he said of AIDS and mental health issues. "It's debilitating. It's potent, it's paralyzing. So how do you make it easy? How do you make it accessible, comfortable?"
He hopes people learn it's okay to open up, especially among groups like men and certain minorities that aren't perceived to be as open about discussing mental health topics.
"This is something that's societally infused, and we need to understand that, learn about it, get comfortable," he said. "This isn't going to change in a day. But I do think this process is at if we make huge strides, I think we're learning that it's okay to be vulnerable."
