If you haven't been swept up by the buzz of Pinterest yet, then you need to get out of the cave you're living in and unharness the fastest growing social media network, maybe even website, on the planet.
The website that started in December 2009 has for some reason skyrocketed in number of users over the last 3 months.
This post is not meant to boast how many people are using the website or how much revenue it will do - there are plenty of infographs out there that highlight that.
This post is to merely explain the reasoning of why the website is so influential and why so many people are using it and will continue to use it for months and years to come.
The one most obvious, most definite reason why people are using Pinterest comes down to one simple word - simplicity.
The site has an incredibly clean layout with a stark white background, allowing the images that are the bread and butter of the website to pop (this is rule #1 for e-commerce related product shots that many companies tend to forget).
Apart from keeping people's attention with the user interface on the site, the product is so easy to use as you surf the web.
It takes only four steps (one of which is optional) to "pin" an image.
Simply click the "Pin-It" button on your browser, select the image, pick your board and then describe the image (optional).
This is so quick and easy that even my 81-year-old Grandma could figure it out.
The look and feel of the website combined with the use of Pinterest makes it so easy to integrate into even the most novice of web browsers daily routines.
The question still stands as to why so many people are obsessed with such a bare bones website concept.
The answer is not as "simple" but relates to the definition of social media.
As human beings, we crave to be defined by the things we are associated with - our friends, the things we own, the places we go.
Pinterest is the newest venue for anyone to stand on their soapbox and be noticed.
You can get an in-depth feel of a person's passions, interests and aspirations with a quick glimpse of their Pinterest profile.
Who wouldn't want to be associated with someone who posts something so cool, that you want to hang in on your "digital refrigerator" - your Pinterest profile? The ease of sharing and adding to your digital profile combined with the library of incredibly cool images featured on the site makes Pinterest addictive.