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Pinning Motherhood: The Construction of Mothering Identities on Pinterest

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Date Issued:
2014
Abstract/Description:
This research examines the new social media site, Pinterest, to uncover the processes through which mothers construct self- and public-identities. Despite being valued at over $3.8 billion dollars (Perez 2013), having an impressive user retention rate (Moore 2014), and having a highly gendered user base (Tekobbe 2013), Pinterest has been the site of limited sociological inquiry. Seventeen semi-structured qualitative interviews on mothering and Pinterest use were conducted with central Florida mothers who have a Pinterest account and at least one child between 6 months and 10 years old. Through analysis based in a grounded theory approach, three central themes emerged from the data: (1) mothers negotiate motherhood ideals, perpetuated through Pinterest, through drawing on gendered ideologies; (2) mothers' use of Pinterest both supports and impairs construction of positive self-identities, complexly overlapping with concerns of technology overuse; and (3) the compartmentalized nature of Pinterest facilitates the activation of multiple identities which allow 'escapes' from the pressures of motherhood and everyday responsibilities. Insights derived from this research can also be helpful in explaining the overlaps between online and offline identities, how women manage motherhood ideals, and the compartmentalization of self-identities.
Title: Pinning Motherhood: The Construction of Mothering Identities on Pinterest.
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Name(s): Griffin, Kate, Author
Anthony, Amanda, Committee Chair
Carter, Shannon, Committee Member
Grauerholz, Liz, Committee Member
University of Central Florida, Degree Grantor
Type of Resource: text
Date Issued: 2014
Publisher: University of Central Florida
Language(s): English
Abstract/Description: This research examines the new social media site, Pinterest, to uncover the processes through which mothers construct self- and public-identities. Despite being valued at over $3.8 billion dollars (Perez 2013), having an impressive user retention rate (Moore 2014), and having a highly gendered user base (Tekobbe 2013), Pinterest has been the site of limited sociological inquiry. Seventeen semi-structured qualitative interviews on mothering and Pinterest use were conducted with central Florida mothers who have a Pinterest account and at least one child between 6 months and 10 years old. Through analysis based in a grounded theory approach, three central themes emerged from the data: (1) mothers negotiate motherhood ideals, perpetuated through Pinterest, through drawing on gendered ideologies; (2) mothers' use of Pinterest both supports and impairs construction of positive self-identities, complexly overlapping with concerns of technology overuse; and (3) the compartmentalized nature of Pinterest facilitates the activation of multiple identities which allow 'escapes' from the pressures of motherhood and everyday responsibilities. Insights derived from this research can also be helpful in explaining the overlaps between online and offline identities, how women manage motherhood ideals, and the compartmentalization of self-identities.
Identifier: CFE0005340 (IID), ucf:50501 (fedora)
Note(s): 2014-08-01
M.A.
Sciences, Sociology
Masters
This record was generated from author submitted information.
Subject(s): Motherhood -- Identity -- Social Media -- Pinterest -- Distancing -- Embracement -- Gendered Ideologies
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005340
Restrictions on Access: public 2014-08-15
Host Institution: UCF

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