Daydreaming in the digital age: Pinterest as a medium for visualising future selves in relation to online brands

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University of Amsterdam 24 June 2016 Master Media Studies: New Media and Digital Culture

Supervisor: N. (Natalia) Sánchez-Querubín Second reader: Dr. E.J.T. (Esther) Weltevrede

Daydreaming in the digital age: Pinterest as a medium

for visualising future selves in relation to online brands

A study on how the Pinterest platform acts as a medium for online daydreaming and shapes user’s future selves and relation with online brands

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Abstract

We are currently living in a digital culture in which the logics of technology and society are increasingly intertwined and entangled (Fuller 2008; Manovich 2013). Consequently, it can be argued that the infrastructure and logics of new media are progressively shaping and affecting practices and concerns key to contemporary society. Amongst them one may include the activity of daydreaming. This activity involves imagining future selves and the

consumption of desired goods and experiences in aspirational situations (Singer 1975; Markus and Nurius 1986; d’Astous and Deschenes 2005). Studies show that one of the

fastest-growing social media platforms, Pinterest, is enabling the activity of ‘dreaming out loud’ and offering new techniques such as creating virtual pinboards and digital pins (Constine 2012; Zhong 2012; Bennett 2015; Mander 2015; Patterson 2015; Phillips et al. 2015, 633). This sustains and transforms the activity of daydreaming in the digital age. With this in mind, this study aims to describe and critique the practice of daydreaming in the digital age and its operationalization through engagement with new media by using Pinterest as a case study. By analysing the logics of the platform and the content distributed on the platform, conclusions are drawn concerning how the Pinterest platform acts as a medium for online daydreaming and shapes user’s relation with online brands. It appears that content-wise we still daydream in the traditional sense, with a focus on social relations, consumer goods, and house and travel objects (d’Astous and Deschenes 2005; Jenkins, Nixon and Molesworth 2011). Brands still play a predominant role in online daydreams since nearly half of the Pinterest platform’s content originates from branded webpages. However, new media also enables the activity of new actors on social media platforms such as, online influencers and bloggers. These

developments shape user’s future selves and relation with online brands. Lastly, the logics of the platform, such as, sharing and ranking tools, the publicity of dreams and the ‘pin it’ and ‘Buy it’ buttons, enable new aspects to the activity of online daydreaming.

Keywords: new media, digital culture, social media platforms, platform studies, digital methods, Pinterest, daydreaming, online branding

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1. Introduction

From the moment I received pocket money I started buying fashion magazines. Vogue, Elle and Glamour were some of my favourites. Sometimes I would also buy French, Italian and Swedish fashion magazines, even though I did not speak the language. The only things that mattered to me were the images; a wealth of catwalk looks, celebrity portraits, and models. These images gave me inspiration on how to dress, wear make-up and live what they described a glamorous and stylish life. After having browsed through a magazine a million times, at this point knowing every image by heart, I would cut out the most inspiring ones and hang them on my wall. The process sometimes took a long time since the images had to be made to fit together in order to create one great mood board. This took place on a weekly basis in order for me to always have a wall filled with new inspiration. Thus, I was

daydreaming with the assistance of printed media. Thinking back on this process of creating a life-size mood board made of magazine clippings, I understand now what the founder of Pinterest, Ben Silbermann, stated, ‘I’d always thought that the things you collect say so much about who you are. My childhood bug collection is “Pinterest 1.0” (Carlson 2012). I too had my own analogue Pinterest and it helped me dream out loud.

Daydreaming can be defined as ‘a series of pleasant thoughts that distract one’s attention from the present’ (Oxford Dictionary of English 2016). In more detail, daydreams consist of mental representations of possible future selves and the consumption of desired goods and experiences (Singer 1975; Markus and Nurius 1986; d’Astous and Deschenes 2005). Using media content to construct and visualise daydreams is neither a new nor original activity. Long before the digital age, around the 1820s, women were already engaging with mass media to visualise future desires by creating scrapbooks and collages from newspaper and magazine clippings (Christensen 2011; Phillips et al. 2015). These scrapbooks and

collages, it is argued, gave meaning to women’s daily lives by reflecting on their memories of life events and activities (Phillips et al. 2015). Later on, as advertisement became more

popular, these scrapbooks and collages would begin to consist increasingly of branded products and aspirational clippings of future events, such as holidays and weddings. Brands inspire to stimulate consumer’s imagination by referring to certain products that are absent in their lives (Campbell 2005; Chocano 2012; Zhong 2012). Therefore, branding and

advertisements have always been common themes among daydreams. How we imagine ourselves to be and what we aspire is shaped by branding. Studies have shown that this also applies to the use of mass media, such as, watching television, reading magazines and

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newspapers, and listening to the radio, shapes daydreams (McIlwraith and Schallow 1983; McIlwraith and Josephson 1985). These daydreaming concepts and findings from the pre-digital age show that daydreaming has been an activity, informed and performed with the assistance of branded media.

Now, looking at one of the fastest-growing social media platforms, Pinterest, multiple similarities to these acts of scrapbooking and collage making and the role of branded media are visible (Constine 2012; Zhong 2012; Bennett 2015; Mander 2015; Patterson 2015; Phillips et al. 2015). On the Pinterest platform users can pin digital images from around the web onto their virtual pinboards. As the platform’s slogan states, Pinterest lets you ‘discover and save creative ideas’ (Pinterest 2016). The Pinterest platform encourages users to post aspirational and future-oriented content, for example, popular pinboards on the platform are ‘Home Décor’ and ‘Weddings’. In contrast to social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter, it has been argued that Pinterest is not a social platform since it does not focus on interaction, identity sharing and community building (Phillips et al. 2015). Instead, users are escaping real-life by pinning digital images onto their virtual pinboards (Zhong 2012). Lastly, the demographics from scrapbooking and pinning remains similar as Pinterest is dominated by female users (83%) with an average age between 18 and 34 years old (Constine 2012; Schlereth 2012; Bakhshi, Chang, Gilbert and Terveen 2013). Taking into account these insights into the platform, Phillips et al. (2015, 633) concluded that Pinterest is a platform for ‘dreaming out loud’.

Due to its aspirational, dreamy, and future-oriented nature, Pinterest has become an appealing platform for online branding, which focuses on the creation of an experience around an online brand (Campbell 2005; Chocano 2012; Zhong 2012). The introduction of ‘buyable pins’ has enabled users to immediately take action when stumbling upon a desired pin (Kastrenakes 2015). As a result, the platform drives more traffic to product websites than Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn and YouTube combined (Hempel 2012). Building upon Phillips et al.’s (2015) description of the Pinterest platform, it can be argued that Pinterest enables users to virtually visualise their daydreams, resulting in the activity of online daydreaming. Since new media enables users to virtually dream within media, it can be reasoned that the logics of the platform shape this activity, which can result in the construction of mediated, digital and algorithmic online daydreams.

We are currently living in a digital culture in which technology and society are

increasingly intertwined, entangled and shaping each other (Fuller 2008; Manovich 2013). As a result, technology enables new ways of thinking and imagining, which shapes and affects

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practices and concerns key to contemporary society (Manovich 2013). In order to increase understanding of contemporary culture and society it is crucial to understand the role technology plays. This study focuses on the activity of daydreaming in the digital age. Previous studies on daydreaming come from various fields of study, such as, psychology, communication science, consumer culture and marketing. This study is the first step in analysing daydreaming from a new media perspective in the digital age. New media enables daydreams to become virtual, which results in new ways of daydreaming and analysing daydreams. Therefore, it can be argued that the Pinterest platform enables new daydreaming practices in contemporary society. At the same time the user’s daydreams are becoming entangled with the logics of new media. Consequently, questions arise such as: how are the features of social media platforms influencing the medium-specific forms of daydreaming? How is social media content influenced by the platform? How are the features of Pinterest enabling users to share and construct their daydreams online? What kinds of Pinterest specific daydreams are shared on the platform? In order to gain insight into these questions, this study creates an analytical framework of the Pinterest platform and its content from both a front-end and back-end approach.

This research focuses on answering the following research question (RQ): how does the Pinterest platform act as a medium for online daydreaming? Since the activity of

daydreaming consists of multiple factors, three sub-research questions have been formed to answer the main research question. Firstly (RQ1), how does the arrangement of the Pinterest platform shape the ways in which users can produce their future selves in new media? Secondly (RQ2), what type of media content and actors are privileged on the Pinterest platform? Thirdly (RQ3), how does the Pinterest platform shape user’s relation with online brands?

The aim of this research is to create a more accurate picture of contemporary daydreaming expressed and shaped by new media. Therefore, it will help to further our understanding of the role that new media plays in shaping online daydreams. Additionally, this study contributes to the study of new media by developing conceptual tools for critiquing and analysing the contemporary conditions of online daydreaming. By gaining insight into the role new media plays in constructing contemporary daydreams, users and brands can adjust their online strategy on the platform accordingly.

This research paper is structured in the following way. Chapter 2 describes the

theoretical framework in which theories and previous studies on daydreaming and new media are described, which is subdivided into five categories. First, previous studies on Pinterest are

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analysed in order to better understand which insights have already been made regarding the platform (2.1). Second, a description of the practice of daydreaming is constructed based on theories (2.2). Third, the influence of traditional media use on daydreaming is described based on mass media studies (2.3). Fourth, the role of online branding within daydreaming and new media is considered (2.4). Fifth, the new media approach of using technology to study social concerns, such as daydreaming in this case, is described (2.5). Chapter 3 contains the research methodology. This methodology uses a platform studies approach to construct an analytical framework (3.1) and for the case study, a digital methods approach (3.2). Chapter 4 details the analysis and results of this research. First, an analytical framework of the Pinterest platform is created to see how the platform encourages and enables new practices of daydreaming from both the front-end and back-end (4.1). This analytical framework is divided into three sub-chapters that describe online daydreaming as a social and ranked activity (4.1.1), the ‘platformization’ of online daydreaming (4.1.2) and the commercial value of online

daydreaming (4.1.3). Second, the case study of this research is constructed (4.2). This case study consists of an analysis of the presence of online branded pin sources (4.2.1), the types of pin sources present on the platform (4.2.2), the presence of online branding per pin source (4.2.3) and the presence of daydreaming content (4.2.4). In chapter 5 a conclusion is reached which provides an answer to the research question and sub-research questions. Chapter 6 critically elaborates on these findings and mentions its limitations and suggestions for future research.

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2. Theoretical Framework

In order to increase understanding of how new media is re-shaping and enabling new practices of daydreaming, it is essential that related concepts and insights from previous studies on this subject are analysed. This research takes Pinterest as the object of study; therefore, it is necessary that previous studies on this platform are analysed in relation to the practice of daydreaming. Firstly, previous studies on the Pinterest platform will be described (2.1). Secondly, in order to understand how new media shapes the practice of contemporary daydreaming, theories on daydreaming in the pre-digital age will be analysed (2.2). Since daydreaming is a mental activity these theories mostly originate from psychological studies. Thirdly, insights from previous mass media studies on daydreaming and traditional media will be analysed to better understand what is already known of the role that media plays in

daydreaming (2.3). In conclusion, since this research focuses on the social concern of

daydreaming with and in new media, new media theories on studying the social through new media will be described, which results in the methodological section of this research (2.4).

2.1 Pinterest as a medium for daydreaming

Social media platforms are characterised by the distribution of real-time information, which refers to the speed and immediacy at which new content is shared on the platforms. Therefore, it has been argued that social media platforms enable an experience of the now online (Chun 2011; Gehl 2011; Weltevrede, Helmond and Gerlitz 2014, 126). At the same time this also causes social media platform to rapidly change (Hearn 2010; Van Dijck 2013). As a result, insights into social media platforms are constantly necessary. Previous research has been done on the in 2010-launched Pinterest platform. Most of these studies focus on distinguishing what type of platform Pinterest is. It is clear that the platform has distinctive principles that differ from more ‘traditional’ social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter. As the term ‘social media’ implies, these types of media generally focus on being social, thus, interacting and communicating with other people online. It appears that Pinterest does not focus as much on this aspect. As a result, multiple studies have analysed the platform in order to increase understanding of one of the fastest growing social media platforms (Constine 2012; Zhong 2012; Bennett 2015; Mander 2015; Patterson 2015; Phillips et al. 2015).

According to Phillips et al. (2015), Pinterest differs from other social media platforms. Based on content analysis from a marketing and advertisement perspective, Phillips et al. (2015, 639) concluded that Pinterest is a ‘future-oriented platform’. Most pinboards on

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Pinterest do not include personal introductory descriptions of users, personal captions added to images or personal digital photos (Phillips et al. 2015). It appears that Pinterest is not an ‘other-oriented platform’ (Phillips et al. 2015, 641). An ‘other-oriented platform’ is one that focuses on community building or online interaction, such as Twitter and Facebook. Instead, Phillips et al. (2015, 633) state that Pinterest is a social media platform where users produce possible future selves and consumption habits by ‘dreaming out loud’. Therefore, they advice advertisers to shape their marketing strategies based on the focus of the platform. While advertisers generally use a direct-persuasion approach on social media platforms, Phillips et al. (2015) advice advertisers to shift more towards an indirect-persuasion approach on the Pinterest platform. Thus, an appropriate marketing strategy on the Pinterest platform would be one where the advertiser takes on the same position as the customer and adapts their strategy, which is reflected through users’ interests on their public pinboards.

In line with Phillips et al.’s (2015) arguments, Hall and Zarro (2012, 1) also

distinguish Pinterest as a social media platform that differs from more ‘traditional’ platforms. They state that Pinterest is a ‘social curation’ platform since it combines social media

features, such as sharing, liking, commenting and following, with collecting capabilities, such as creating, maintaining and sharing content (Hall and Zarro 2012). The term ‘curation’ originates from the museum activity of selecting and displaying artefacts in a museum (Belk 2006). It is a public activity and process that focuses on exchanging meaning (Staniszweki 1998; Martinon 2013). By transforming this definition onto new media devices, Hall and Zarro (2012) indicate that by selecting and sharing certain images on Pinterest, users try to share a certain vision on the platform. Gelley and John (2014) add that Pinterest is a platform that focuses less on community building and more on personal use since the platform is publicly visible, which results in more emphasis on content curation instead of social interaction and the creation relationships.

Studies on the use of the Pinterest platform support these arguments that Pinterest is a non-other-oriented platform (Hall and Zarro 2012; Gelley and John 2014; Phillips et al. 2015). Research on the motives of Pinterest users shows that the platform is mostly used for discovering, collecting, collaborating and publishing (Forte, Hall and Zarro 2013). The activity of collecting is based on the feeling of addictive yearning because something is missing or incomplete (Zhong 2012). Pinterest can stimulate this feeling since the content on the platform mostly consists of objects users do not posses. When scrolling through the Pinterest home feed users are confronted with these objects, which results in the feeling that these something is missing in their lives. Instead of feeling miserable about this, the feeling

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that this object will make one’s life complete, gives users the inspiration to collect this object or similar ones. Consequently, users are encouraged to put these objects on their wish list or virtual pinboard and browse further on the platform. The same applies to advertisements since it also wants to give consumers the feeling that something is missing by referring to a certain product (Chocano 2012). Therefore, Zhong (2012) argues that Pinterest is a platform that results around the collection of branded content and thus, advertisements. The activity of discovering relates to the individual activity of discovering, developing and refining one’s personal taste and aesthetic preferences (McQuarrie 2013; Phillips et al. 2015). This personal process is also present on the Pinterest platform and can be seen as a form of play (Holbrook and Hirschman 1982). According to Phillips et al. (2015) two types of play are present on Pinterest: free play, which is when users do not have a specific purpose or motivation in mind besides enjoyment and fun, and instrumental play, which is when users are more goal-driven (Iser 1993).

These activities of discovering, collecting, collaborating and publishing, also correspond to the centuries-old activity of scrapbooking and collaging (Christensen 2011; Zhong 2012; Forte et al. 2013: Phillips et al. 2015). These paper scrapbooks and collages consist of newspaper and magazine cuttings to express one’s imagination (Christensen 2011; Zhong 2012). In this case, media content is given a new meaning in addition to providing information. These media images often also include brands and advertisements (Rosenberg 1989; Garvey 2006). The scrapbook- and collage-makers, however, do not seem to be concerned with this since their main focus is on visualising their daydreams. Nevertheless, it can be argued that these branded media images do influence the consumers’ imagination and daydreams.

Taking a closer look at the use of the Pinterest platform, it appears that the most frequently observed action is repinning (80%) (Zhong 2012). Liking comes second and commenting last (Bakhshi et al. 2013). Repins occur four times more often than likes and 150 times more often than comments (Gelley and John 2014). These statistics confirm that the platform tools with the lowest level of social interaction are used the most on Pinterest. This is in opposition when compared to other social media platforms, such as Facebook, on which liking and sharing personal information are the most popular activities (Moretti 2012). Nevertheless, an analysis of the comments on Pinterest shows that the social interaction that does occur on the platform is mostly positive, resulting in a ‘highly positive community’ on the platform (Patterson 2015, 7). More specifically, most comments contain positive personal opinions and judgements about the content of the pin or refer to the creator of the pin (55%)

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(Hall and Zarro 2012). Other comments generally consist of a dialogue (19%), a personal history (15%), or a narrative detail (10%). However, even though the social interaction within the comments is positive, most comments do not consist of any social interaction. They seem to be used more as a note-to-self instead of being addressed to other users. The comments with the most social interaction are the ones consisting of a dialogue (Hall and Zarro 2012).

According to Hall and Zarro (2012), a dialogue within Pinterest comments occurs because of multiple reasons. Firstly, most images on Pinterest represent objects users want to possess; therefore, they ask other users where to get these items. Secondly, users are free to add and change the caption of a pin; therefore, often information on the place, name or price of an object represented is left out. Thirdly, Pinterest is a popular public platform; therefore, users are able to see other users’ comments. Fourthly, it is possible to tag users in comments, which invites them to see a particular image and respond to it (Zhong 2012).

Even though these insights show that Pinterest is a platform where dialogue can occur, statistics show that this does not seem to be the most dominant activity on the platform (Hall and Zarro 2012). Nevertheless, it appears that if social interaction occurs on the platform it is mostly positive (Hall and Zarro 2012; Patterson 2015). This implies that the users of the platform do not mind social interaction on the platform only they do not use the platform primarily for social communication. Instead, they virtually visualise their daydreams on the platform, which corresponds to the centuries-old activity of scrapbooking and collaging (Christensen 2011). These insights confirm that Pinterest is a medium for ‘dreaming out loud’ (Philips et al. 2015, 633). This study builds and develops on Phillips et al.’s (2015) work by operating on the same definition of Pinterest as a medium for ‘dreaming our loud’ and repurposing it for new media studies.

2.2 Daydreaming

In order to gain sufficient understanding of Pinterest’s role as a ‘dreaming out loud’, ‘non-other-oriented’, ‘future-oriented’, and ‘social curation’ platform in contemporary society, theories on these activities must be addressed (Hall and Zarro 2012; Phillips et al. 2015). These terms, when used to describe the Pinterest platform, can be combined into one term: daydreaming. Therefore, in order to increase understanding of how new media influences contemporary daydreaming, theories on the practice of daydreaming should be addressed.

Across different fields of study, the practice of daydreaming has been defined in terms of a distraction from the thought process (Singer and McCraven 1961; Antrobus, Singer, Goldstein and Fortgang 1970). This is possible since our thoughts are not restricted to the

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perception of the immediate environment and present (Antrobus et al. 1970). Thoughts have the ability to time travel. Daydreaming can be seen as a technique of ‘mindscaping’, which is a way to temporarily escape the routines of everyday life by focusing on more pleasurable possibilities (Cohen and Taylor 1976, 1992). For some daily life is filled with dull repetition; therefore, daydreaming can be seen as a form of resistance through evasion instead of

opposition (Jenkins, Nixon and Molesworth 2011). This can be explained based on the emotional gratification people receive from daydreaming. Daydreaming enables us to experience things in the absence of their material presence (Casey 2000). This mental

experience can provide the same pleasure and positive emotions as the acquisition of a desired physical object since imagery and desire both provide the same pleasure (Holbrook and Hirschman 1982; Campbell 1987; MacInnis and Price 1987; Belk 1997; Russell and Levy 2012; Philips et al. 2015). While only reality can provide satisfaction, both illusions and delusions can supply pleasure (Campbell 1987). Daydreams mostly occur when alone and in a relaxed state, such as before going to sleep (Jenkins et al. 2011). However, daydreams do differ from uncontrolled mental activities when sleeping since they are produced consciously (d’Astous and Deschenes 2005). Daydreams generally consist of images of the past and future (Antrobus et al. 1970). Additionally, they include the consumption of desired goods and experiences (Singer 1975; d’Astous and Deschenes 2005). Therefore, daydreams connect the gap between real life and ideal life.

2.2.1 Daydreaming and possible future selves

Planning and anticipating one’s future is central to the practice of daydreaming. Within the field of psychology, many scholars have defined the practice of constructing a future self through daydreaming. This has resulted in concepts such as: potential social me (James 1910), ego ideal (Freud 1925), potential selves (Gergen 1972), the dream (Levinson 1978). Markus and Nurius (1986) define possible selves as ‘a representation of individuals’ ideas of what they might become, what they would like to become and what they are afraid of becoming’ (Markus and Nurius 1986, 954). Possible selves are made up from goals, aspirations, motives, fears and threats (Markus and Nurius 1986). Additionally, one’s past, environment and self, influence the creation of possible future selves, in particular, images created by the media and immediate social experiences (Markus and Nurius 1986). Moreover, possible selves motivate future behaviour and serve as an evaluative and interpretive context for the current self. Thus, how one acts in the present influences and creates possible future selves. Consequently, one’s

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self-regard and self-esteem are constructed based on one’s actual and ideal self (Rogers 1951).

Phillips et al.’s (2015) study on virtual pinboards on the Pinterest platform concludes that most content is future-oriented and reflects users’ dreams. Additionally, they came to the conclusion that different types of pinboards occur on the platform based on the future

planning of users’ dreams (Phillips et al. 2015). As a result, Phillips et al. (2015) distinguish three types of Pinterest users. Firstly, Pinterest users who focus on the immediate future, they use Pinterest as an aspirational decision making aid. Their pinboards are specific with detailed thematically linked images; the user is often the original pinner of images and adds personal captions to them as a note-to-self. Secondly, Pinterest users who focus on the near future, their pinboards are used as wish lists, which are specific and detailed but not always coherent in theme and content. The images have personal captions but are frequently repinned from other boards. Thirdly, Pinterest users who focus on the far future and use Pinterest as a form of fantasy, the images are based on inspiration, which is the process of being mentally stimulated to feel something, especially creative (Phillips et al. 2015). On these boards there is more free play with a high level of taste discovery and less coherent content. There are fewer images with fine detailed descriptions and no personal captions. All in all, these notions correspond to the theory that daydreams consist of mental representations of the future and possible future selves (Antrobus et al. 1970).

2.2.2 Daydreaming and consumption dreams

Besides possible future selves, consumption plays a central role in the practice of

daydreaming. These two themes are closely related. When individuals imagine themselves obtaining a desired product, they construct images and scenarios involving these products in the future (Singer and McCraven 1961). These kinds of daydreams are defined as

‘consumption dreams’ (d’Astous and Deschenes 2005, 2). Within these daydreams the consumption and representations of goods and services rather than the products themselves occupy an important role (Campbell 1987; Fournier and Guiry 1993). Previously,

consumption was generally thought of as a predominantly material and physical activity (Molesworth and Denegri-Knott 2013). Therefore, research on consumer culture largely focused on the consumption of concrete and real-world objects. While a large part of the consumption process occurs in the minds of consumers through fantasizing, dreaming or imagining ownership of the product (Campbell 1987; McCracken 1988; Belk 2001; Kozinets et al. 2002; Belk et al. 2003; d’Astus and Deschenes 2004; Molesworth and Denegri-Knott

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2013). Campbell (1987) even regards the imagination as the driving source of contemporary consumption.

Based on interview techniques, d’Astous and Deschenes (2005) concluded that house and travel objects are the most re-occurring consumption concepts in consumption dreams and daydreams. However, Jenkins et al. (2011) concluded, also based on interview

techniques, that consumer goods are not the focal point of individual’s imagined futures. Since goods are often taken as granted they commonly are not present in consumer’s vision of life (Campbell 1987; Illouz 1997). Instead, social relations are the main focus of imagined futures, for example, successful relationships, love and happiness. Goods are a part of life but more as a context for emotional experiences and therefore contribute to social relations (Jenkins et al. 2011). Since social relations are harder to virtually visualise through media content, as they do not represent nonconcrete objects, it can be assumed that the daydreams expressed with the assistance of new media mostly consists of concrete objects.

2.3 Daydreaming and traditional media

Considering the studies described above it can be concluded that daydreams are mental representations based on one’s past, present and environment (Markus and Nurius 1986). For decades the media has played a predominant role in society, therefore, it has been reasoned that media significantly influences daydreaming (Markus and Nurius 1986). As a result, extensive research has been done concerning the role traditional media plays in constructing daydreams. These studies focus on traditional media, such as, television, newspapers, magazines and radio. Based on these studies two theories have resulted concerning the relation between daydreaming and media use. On the one hand there is the empty-headed model, which assumes that the media influences media users’ daydreams (McIlwraith and Schallow 1983; McIlwraith and Josephson 1985). On the other hand there is the full-headed model, which assumes that media use is motivated by one’s daydreams. Thus, when

unpleasant daydreams occur one would turn to entertaining media to block-out the unpleasant thoughts (McIlwraith and Schallow 1983; McIlwraith and Josephson 1985).

Research has confirmed the full-headed model, showing that daydreams are significantly stimulated and influenced by media use (McIlwraith and Schallow 1983; Valkenburg and van der Voort 1994). The daydreams of media users who regularly engage with violent media content are more likely to consist of unpleasant thoughts associated with anxious and hostile themes (McIlwraith and Schallow 1983). On the other hand, viewing positive content over time results in positive-intensive daydreams (Valkenburg and van der

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Voort 1994). Additionally, mass media studies have found outcomes that support the reduction hypothesis, which implies that the use of media that imposes ready-made images onto its viewers, such as television, disrupts creativity and imagination (Valkenburg 2001; Valkenburg and Beentjes 1997). Instead, using media that only consists of audio content, such as radio, causes media users to yield more novel and interesting responses as users are

encouraged to stimulate their imagination. Since new media mostly consists of visual content it can be reasoned that new media users will be less encouraged to use their imagination when visualising daydreams through new media. On the contrary, based on consumption culture and advertisement theories, it can also be assumed that the engagement with ready-made visual content of objects and experiences one does not posses, stimulates users’ imagination and daydreams (Campbell 1987; Fournier and Guiry 1993; Zhong 2012).

2.4 Daydreaming and online branding

Advertisements and daydreaming are closely related since advertisements are intended to stimulate the consumer’s imagination (Campbell 2005; Zhong 2012). If the advertisements’ strategy is successful, mental representations of the desired goods and experiences appear in the consumer’s mind. Even though the consumer does not posses the object, the mental representation of a physical object produces the same pleasure as the acquisition of the physical object (Campbell 2005; Zhong 2012). Thus, the pleasurable imagination enabled through advertisements gives consumers joy. However, only the purchasing of a product creates satisfaction, which eventually is the goal of advertisements (Campbell 2005). This partly explains Pinterest’s success since it provides consumers with images to stimulate their imagination (Zhong 2012). Instead of feeling inferior because you cannot afford a product, Pinterest lets users visualise their future in which they do have that product. These

inspirational images provide users with pleasurable emotions (Campbell 2005). Conversely, Pinterest is also the perfect platform for online branding.

Pinterest is a so-called ‘image-based social media platform’ since it revolves around sharing images and pictorial information (Shayon 2012; Mull and Lee 2014; Patterson 2015). This is an advantage for advertising and online branding since information portrayed through visuals is processed more quickly than textual information (Paivio 1986). According to Bourlai and Herring (2014) online images are socially richer since they can express emotions through facial expressions. Therefore, they have a stronger emotional impact and are

perceived as being more persuasive. Visual information influences our imaginative and creative thinking (Levie and Lentz 1982). This is important for online brands since the most

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effective advertising strategy is to encourage consumers to imagine experiences and identities based on certain products (Zhong 2012). Additionally, most online content is ever lasting as long as it does not get removed by its author or the website when trespassing the terms of services. Therefore, most online content has a longer shelf life than content from traditional media, such as newspapers and magazines. In particular, on social media platform, where re-sharing existing content is possible, the longer stock-life of content is an advantage for

branded content and advertisements. The speed at which new content is placed on the Internet is also considered a profitable concept of new media for online branding and advertisements. It enables users to constantly adjust their media daydreams in contrast to scrapbooks and collages, which relied on the publication dates of newspapers and magazines. Characteristics of new media as continuously processing and presenting the latest and most relevant content have resulted in the term real-time information and media (Chun 2011; Gehl 2011;

Weltevrede et al. 2014). Real time reflects the rate at which computational processing takes place in relation to the time of lived experience. Thus, it is argued that there is no delay between real and online time (Mackenzie 1997). This enables users to constantly update their online daydreams in contemporary society.

Additionally, new media enables digital virtual consumption, which combines both materiality and imagination aspects by enabling users to virtually consume products (Molesworth and Denegri-Knott 2013). An example of digital virtual consumption is the ability to save items in a virtual shopping basket or a wish list, which gives users the temporary state of almost possessing a product or service. Therefore, websites and social media platforms that focus on digital virtual consumption have the power to actualize and shape users’ daydreams as desired and branded goods and services are just one click away (Denegri-Knott and Molesworth 2013). Thus, it can be reasoned that digital virtual

consumption provides a pleasurable feeling since it corresponds to the mental experience of acquiring a desired object, which according to theories provides enjoyment (Holbrook and Hirschman 1982; Campbell 1987; MacInnis and Price 1987; Belk et al. 1997; Russell and Levy 2012; Philips et al. 2015). The Pinterest platform also provides a form of digital virtual consumption by enabling users to place pins with images of desired objects and experiences onto their virtual pinboards. These virtual pinboards, it can be argued, represent users’ wish lists ordered on theme.

Since the Pinterest platform enables forms of digital virtual consumption with branded media content, not only non-professional users are present on the Pinterest platform but also professional users. As the platform grew in active users and content, the interests from

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professional users grew, such as organisations, advertisers and brands (Scolere and Humphreys 2016). Consequently, users with varying motives converge on the platform

(Gillespie 2010; Scolere and Humphreys 2016). The emergence of the convergence culture on platforms has resulted in the merging of the producer and consumer of online content, called the ‘prosumer’ (Jenkins 2006; Manovich 2013). Additionally, this shift has led to the

emergence of social media platforms, which replaced stand-alone communication programs and services (Manovich 2013, 28; Helmond 2015). The term platform is used in relation to social media because it can be perceived as an infrastructure on which applications are built (Gillespie 2010). Helmond (2015) argues that platforms are now the dominant infrastructure of the social web as social media platforms are making the external web increasingly

‘platform ready’ by spreading their features and data flows across other platforms and third parties (Helmond 2015, 1). Social media platforms decentralize their presence to other spaces on the web through share and like button, which they place on other webpages (Langlois and Elmer 2013). This is possible since social media platforms let developers and third-parties integrate with their platform and built upon them through Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) (Helmond 2015). O’Reilly (2005) takes this idea one step further by defining ‘the web as platform’. Thus, consequently, not only social media platforms are creating an infrastructure to build applications on, the whole web is changing into a platform (Helmond 2015).

Platforms allow you to communicate, interact and sell (Gillespie 2010). Therefore, it is suitable that different parties are active on the platform such as, advertisers, third-party

developers and users (Rochet and Tirole 2003). These different actors have different motives on the platform, which creates tension between user-generated and commercially produced content (Gillespie 2010). In the end the goal of both the professionals and non-professionals is empowerment since advertisers want access to their audience’s activity, and users want to control their content (Gillespie 2010). Therefore, politics are increasingly integrated into social media platform concepts (Gillespie 2010). Insight into these politics of platforms is necessary for both the professional and non-professional users of these platforms as it shapes their content, navigation and accessibility on the platform. However, according to Gillespie (2010), in the end the platform decides what information users, clients, advertisers and policymakers can access. This goes against the vision of the web as an inclusive democratic space (Introna and Nissenbaum 2000).

Thus, social media platforms are not as transparent and neutral as may be suggested. They have intentions, such as creating an infrastructure on which applications can be built,

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enabling social features and commercial intentions through advertisements (Gillespie 2010; Langlois and Elmer 2013; Helmond 2015). Lessig (2006) argues that social media platforms are double layered by imposing logics on the user-generated content created on the platform. As Langlois and Elmer (2013, 2) state: ‘the content is only the tip of the iceberg’. What is beneath the surface is the personal advertisement and ranking of information that the platform creates based on user’s activity (Langlois and Elmer 2013). Therefore, using the term

‘platform’ can be a strategic choice by downplaying the power of the platform itself (Gillespie 2010). Thus, it appears as if the platforms themselves represent the gatekeepers of social media since they are the only ones capable of controlling the information that is being posted on social media (Deuze 2005). This indicates that social media platforms seem to be more similar to traditional media than they initially appear to be (Gillespie 2010). The professional users use the platform for other purposes, such as to promote products and services, engage with customers and strengthen their loyalty (Neti 2011). On social media platforms

professionals can show a more personal and ‘human’ side to an organisation (Forte et al. 2013). Therefore, they need to stay authentic and valuable by integrating into the social strategies in a non-promotional way on the platform (Schlereth 2012; Zhong 2012). This is possible because ‘social media sites allow individuals to interact with one another and build relationships’ (Singh et al. 2013). Additionally, the Pinterest Blog encourages online brands to post a mixture of existing pins with the brand’s own content (Abby 2016). This gives organisations the impression of being more personal and authentic (Schlereth 2012; Zhong 2012; Forte et al. 2013).

The focus and importance of user-generated content on social media platforms has also led to the emergence of previously non-existing actors in media, such as creative professionals and online influencers who promote the self, online through self-branding and online influencing (Banet-Weiser 2012; Nathanson 2014; Duffy and Hund 2015). These professional users, who come across as being non-professional, often sell branded content on their personal profiles for which they get compensated. The focus on user’s online self-representation is a recent development within new media provided by the tools social media enables (Hearn 2010; Papacharissi 2011; Van Dijck 2013). During the first evolution of web 2.0, social networking sites focused on ‘enhancing human relationships that already existed in real life as well as supporting expansive networks of weak ties’ (Ellison 2007, 221).

According to Van Dijck (2013), the current social media platforms focus on users establishing an online self-representation. Instead of using social media to get in touch with new or

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movement on social media is profitable for online influencers and online brands. The rising presence of these self-branding users on social media has been acknowledged by studies. It appears that most content on the Pinterest platform originates from blogs (45%), e-commerce websites (9.8%), users (8.8%), search engines (8.8%), social curation websites (7.9%), image and video sharing websites (4%), online magazines and newspapers (3.5%) (Hall and Zarro 2012). However, this research does not make a clear distinction between sponsored, so-called online influencers, and non-sponsored blogs and social media users. This is a representative new media phenomenon since the promotion of branded content through self-branding and personal social media accounts has emerged and taken on new forms with the rise of social media and blogs.

As more professionals are active on social media, increasingly content on Pinterest has a commercial purpose. According to the platform, 75% of all pins come from businesses (Pinterest Blog 2016). The rise of brands and commercial content on the platform is also observed by users who state that ‘overall there are just more brands on Pinterest versus the beginning, when it was mainly used by individuals’ (Fitzgerald 2012). On the contrary, Zhong (2012), states that Pinterest pinboards do inspire imaginative play consisting of alternative futures but independent from the products shown. Thus, she implies that even though

products play an important role on Pinterest, users do not generally engage with them outside of the platform. Statistics on Pinterest, however, show the contrary as 59% of Pinterest users have purchased an item they found through the platform (Steelhouse Social Shopping 2012). Compared to other social media platforms, with 33% on Facebook, this is nearly double the amount (Steelhouse Social Shopping 2012). Additionally, more Pinterest users prefer to be associated with brands on the platform (43%) compared to 24% on Facebook (Honigman 2012). Since the platform also revolves around ideas and activities, research has shown that Pinterest’s content influences user’s behaviour (Forte et al 2013; Patterson 2015). It appears that 85% of the 345 surveyed respondents believed that Pinterest makes them think of something they would like to do in the future. Slightly less than half of the respondents believed that Pinterest motivates them to change their behaviours or do something new. One third believed that they changed their behaviour based on pins they saw online.

Yet, the users on Pinterest seem to be unconcerned with the commercial origins of the images they post and share on the platform. Instead they use them for personal building of their daydreams and possible future selves (Phillips et al. 2015). Online brands can take advantage of these developments since social media profiles are often public as opposed to centuries-old practices of scrapbooking and collaging (Christensen 2011; Zhong 2012).

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Therefore, online brands have the possibility to analyse personal online profiles to gain insights into customer’s desires, future behaviour and context for the current view of self (Phillips et al. 2015).

2.5 New media to study online daydreaming

Having analysed previous studies on Pinterest and daydreaming, which used methods such as content analysis, survey and interview techniques, and literature reviews, this study proposes to address the issue of daydreaming from a medium perspective. This perspective takes into account how the details of new platforms and the software that animates them have effects on the activities that develop through them since they are not neutral carriers. Therefore, they influence and engineer social relations and activities in contemporary society.

Academics argue that software is the driving force behind new media since it enables the navigation and interaction with programmable media content and therefore, creates interactive online services (Manovich 2013). On an even broader scale, software is perceived as the driving force of all contemporary existence as most content we produce and distribute is mediated by software (Manovich 2013). Software is ‘the centre of the global economy, culture, social life, and, increasingly, politics’ as we live in a, so-called, information society, knowledge society and network society (Fuller 2008; Manovich 2013, 7). Manovich (2013) refers to software as ‘a universal language through which the world speaks’ resulting in, what he defines as, a ‘software culture’ (Manovich 2013, 2). Consequently, software and society are increasingly intertwined (Fuller 2008). Therefore, in order to understand the world we live in and gain insight into contemporary culture and society, it is crucial that an understanding of the role that software plays is increased (Manovich 2013).

The influence and presence of software has exceeded its primary function in ways that are sometimes nearly invisible (Fuller 2008). This is invisible at first because software

enables new modes in a non-physical form, which eventually results in real-time output (Manovich 2013). As a result, software is perceived as more than technology, it has become a medium that influences and enables new ways of thinking and imagining (Rheingold 1985; Manovich 2013). Thus, software adds new possibilities and dimensions to contemporary society and culture (Manovich 2013). This takes us back to the famous ‘the medium is the message’ statement made by McLuhan (1964), since it is argued that is not the content but the medium itself that shapes practices and society.

Within the field of new media studies, software is used to analyse phenomena in society. By analysing the programs and social cultures that produce online output, new media

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is used as an object of study (Fuller 2008; Manovich 2013). Additionally, in line with

software, platforms are increasingly dominating new media and consequently, contemporary society and culture (Bogost and Montfort 2016). As a result, platform studies have emerged, which investigates the connection between social media platforms and culture (Bogost and Montfort 2016). Each platform has political, economic and social interests and these should be taken into account when studying a social media platform in contemporary culture (Gillespie 2010; Helmond 2015). Therefore, the content on social media platforms is not a neutral reflection of human behaviour; it is flawed by the logics of the platform (Gillespie 2010; Helmond 2015). In order to draw conclusions based on online content these logics must be taken into account. This can be done through digital methods, which attempts to expose the multi-layered framework of social media platforms (Rogers 2009; Helmond and Gerlitz 2013). New media studies focuses on making the non-visible on user-interface level more visible (Langlois and Elmer 2013). For research purposes, new media should be perceived as something more than technology. Besides analysing what software is and what it can do, new media research focuses more on the activities that software shapes (Fuller 2008).

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3. Methodology

Having analysed theories on daydreaming in the pre-digital age, resulting in a deeper insight into the activity of daydreaming, it is now time to bring the activity of contemporary

daydreaming to new media. This methodological framework proposes a way to study this from a new media studies perspective. The aim of this research is to gain insight into how new media shapes and enables new practices of daydreaming in the digital age. In order to do this, the image-based social media platform Pinterest is used as a case study. Thus, in this paper new media is used as both the subject and object of the study. One can interpret Pinterest as a manifestation of the activity of daydreaming by enabling particular ways in which users engage with media to fabricate their daydreams. Pinterest is enabling users to daydream with and in new media. In order to understand how the logics of the Pinterest platform shape the practice of online daydreaming, a complete analysis of the platform is necessary.

Therefore, this study analysed both the infrastructure of the Pinterest platform and the content distributed on the platform. This resulted in an analytical framework (3.1) and case study (3.2) of the Pinterest platform, which attempt to answer the three sub-research

questions: how does the arrangement of the Pinterest platform shape the ways in which users can produce their future selves in new media (RQ1), what type of media content and actors are privileged on the Pinterest platform (RQ2), and how does the Pinterest platform shape user’s relation with online brands (RQ3)? How the analytical framework and case study are designed in order to answer these sub-research questions is described in more detail below.

A daydream is a mental representation and since it is impossible to look into one’s mind, other ways of gaining insight into the practice of daydreaming have been distinguished. Within different fields of study, such as psychology, consumer culture and communication science, a consumer approach has been used, by interviewing respondents, to gain insight into what it is that people daydream of. This study, however, uses a digital methods approach to study the practice of daydreaming in the digital age. This indicates that digital data is repurposed and used to understand social and cultural phenomena (Rogers 2013). This is possible since digital media collects large amounts of data that are by-products of users’ online activities; these are defined as digitised or big data. This data can be repurposed for new media research to form findings on contemporary culture, which is helpful for users and researchers (Rogers 2013). This approach is appropriate for this research since its aim is to understand how the Pinterest platform acts as a medium for online daydreaming. Social media

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platforms reflect user’s behaviour on the platform and give insight into how the platform is arranged since the platform’s algorithms are based on user’s activity. Therefore, an analysis of both the arrangement of the Pinterest platform and its content provide insight into the social concern of online daydreaming in contemporary society.

According to Gillespie (2010) and Langlois and Elmer (2013), social media platforms are double layered. From the front-end perspective it appears as if their focus is on

interaction, and creating and sharing content. On the back end, however, the platform imposes its logics on the content created on the front-end. These logics reflect the intentions of the platform, such as, creating personalised advertisements. By imposing their logics on the content on the platform the overall platform is shaped. In order to sufficiently understand Pinterest as a platform that enables the activity described as online daydreaming, both the front-end as well as the back-end of the platform are critically analysed. Firstly, an analytical framework of the Pinterest platform has been formed, which focuses on the ways in which the arrangement of the platform enables practices for online daydreaming. Secondly, a case study was constructed consisting of two parts, an analysis of the media content distributed on the platform in relation to online brands and daydreams, and its back-end information such as, the sources of the media content since the platform enables users to post content from all over the web. The methods of these two parts of the analysis of this study are described in more detail below.

3.1 Analytical Framework

Having described the overall aim and suitable methodology for this study, a more specific step-by-step description of the applied methodology will be described. For the analytical framework a platform studies approach has been used, which focuses on the infrastructure of the platform, to create a platform critique of the Pinterest platform (Bogost and Montfort 2016). As the term suggests, the infrastructure of a social media platform implies the underlying structure of the platform, thus the back-end of the platform, which is less visible for the user. The importance of the infrastructure of the medium can be traced back to

McLuhan (1964), who famously stated that ‘the medium is the message’. Thus, in the end it is not the content but the infrastructure of the medium that shapes its users and society.

Platform studies focuses on the possibilities and restrictions that the platform enables for its users and it attempts to answer the following questions. What actions does the platform enable? What features are specific to the platform? How is the interface designed? What

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software it used? The aim is to uncover and explain the absence and presence of certain results on the platform. Consequently, the hierarchies of the platform are displayed. By increasing understanding of these factors, conclusions can be drawn concerning the less visible part of the platform, such as, the back-end. Since the platform does not provide sufficient information on the back-end of the platform, insights can be made based on digital labour (Scholz 2012). This refers to the traces that users leave behind on the platform based on their activity, which can be used for other intentions, such as creating personalised advertisements. In this study user’s activity and behaviour on the Pinterest platform can be used to gain insight into how the platform is arranged. The aim of this analytical framework is to understand how the platform enables and encourages the practice of online daydreaming and as a result, shapes the ways in which users can produce their future selves in new media. It is crucial for analysing the content and use of the platform, which is addressed in the case study of this research, that there is an understanding of the logics of the platform. Therefore, platform studies is an essential part of this research.

Manovich (2013) described different factors that should be taken into consideration when analysing a new media object. In order to sufficiently understand how the Pinterest platform acts as a platform for online daydreaming, the following factors have been analysed in relation to daydreaming (see table 1). As a result, an analytical framework is constructed, which shows how and if the tools, interface, algorithms and history of the Pinterest platform enable, encourage and shape the practice of online daydreaming.

Platform factors Description

Tools The user possibilities on the front-end of the

platform, generally they consist of buttons that set an action in motion after clicking on them.

Interface The presentation of software and hardware

‘language’ in human ‘language’, for example, the layout of the screen or certain menus (Oxford Learners Dictionary 2016)

Algorithms A self-contained set of operations in

computer software, which can calculate, process data and automate tasks. They

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determine how the content on the platform is organised and arranged.

History The history of a webpage can provide insight

into the evolution of the intentions of the website and its approaches. The program ‘Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine’ has arranged the web into historical webpages.

Table 1. The platform factors taken into account for the analytical framework of the Pinterest platform, distinguished by Manovich (2013).

3.2 Case study

Besides an analysis of the Pinterest platform’s infrastructure, new media methods are used to analyse the content and actors on the Pinterest platform. The back-end logics of the platform shape the content on the front-end of the platform; therefore, the analytical framework and case study are connected. Keeping the insights made through the analytical framework of the Pinterest platform in mind, the case study focuses on the content shared on the platform. By increasing understanding of what contemporary online daydreams are made of, a comparison can be made with insights from pre-digital age theories on daydreaming to better understand how the Pinterest platform shapes contemporary daydreaming. To increase understanding of this, both the back-end of the media content (3.2.1), in relation to the presence of branded sources and actors on the platform, and the front-end media content are analysed (3.2.2), specifically, the presence of media content that represents daydreaming themes distinguished in pre-digital age literature on daydreaming (Campbell 1987; d’Astous and Deschenes 2005; Jenkins et al. 2011).

3.2.1 Case study on daydreaming themed pin sources

Firstly, based on a back-end approach, the daydreaming content on the Pinterest platform was analysed. In order to draw conclusions on the ways in which new media shapes and enables new practices of online daydreaming, an unbiased comparison between daydreaming in the pre-digital age and the digital age is necessary. Therefore, the same concepts must be compared. Pinterest enables pre-constructed search categories, which reflect the general content distributed on the platform. From these categories, the categories reflecting overlapping themes from pre-digital daydreaming theories were analysed for this research

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(see table 2). Studies on daydreaming in the pre-digital age concluded that social relations are the main focus of imagined futures, such as successful relationships, love and happiness (Jenkins et al. 2011). Since social relations are not physical objects they are harder to virtually visualise than concrete objects. Therefore, the pin category ‘Weddings’ was analysed for this study as a daydreaming pin category since weddings portray the success of a social

relationship. Additionally, pre-digital age theories have defined that the consumption of objects plays a predominant role in daydreams, in particular house and travel objects

(Campbell 1987; d’Astous and Deschenes 2005). Therefore, pins from the following Pinterest categories have been analysed for this case study (see table 2).

Pinterest category Daydreaming theme

Home Décor House objects

Products Objects

Travel Travel objects

Weddings Social relations

Table 2. The chosen Pinterest categories to study pin sources from in relation to the daydreaming themes they represent from pre-digital age daydreaming literature (Campbell 1987; Jenkins et al. 2011; d’Astous and Deschenes 2005).

From each Pinterest category 50 pins were analysed on the date 21 April 2016. In order to gain insight into the type of media content and actors that are privileged on the platform, the URLs of these 200 pins in total were analysed based on the presence of online branded content, thus, consisting of promoted or sponsored brands, and the type of webpage. By analysing the presence of online branding and types of webpages, insights can be made concerning the type of media content and actors privileged on the platform in relation to online brands. Moreover, these insights into daydreaming themed pin sources, increases understanding of the back-end of the platform since the platform arranges and decides which content is displayed among its pin categories. Since online branding is a development

facilitated through new media, it can be reasoned that insights into the presence of online branding among daydreaming themed pin sources increases understanding of how new media shapes the activity of online daydreaming.

In order to analyse the type of media content and actors that are privileged on the Pinterest platform in relation to online branding, the source-links from 200 daydreaming themed pins were gathered. This was done as follows. Since Pinterest creates personalised

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content on their platform based on user’s online history and activity, a ‘research browser’ and ‘research account’ were created for this research (Rogers 2013, 111). Pinterest requires users to create an account in order to interact with any content on the platform. My email address, passwords, age, gender and name were registered. Then five subjects were chosen based on my interests, which make up the first content on the platform. For this research the following subjects were chosen: hair, do-it-yourself, fashion, make-up and fitness.

A research browser was created, which ensured that the browser history and personal settings did not interfere with this research project. The browser Firefox was used. In the privacy settings of the browser, tracking and history savings were de-activated. Accordingly, a clean slate, free of cookies and other engine entanglements was provided. After these adjustments, the social media platform Pinterest could be used for studying the social. The Digital Methods Initiative ‘Harvester tool’ was used to scrape data from the Pinterest platform (Digital Methods Initiative 2016). Firstly, 50 pins per Pinterest category that represented a daydreaming theme were selected (see table 2). Secondly, their source code was pasted into the Harvester tool. As an output, an Excel sheet was conducted containing of all the URL links from the selected Pinterest pins (see appendix). These URLs were then analysed with the following coding system (see table 3).

Presence of online branding Type of webpage

Yes, there is a specific brand mentioned, promoted or sponsored in the daydreaming themed pin source’s webpage.

Website: a general website from a larger organisation, which can have advertisements or not.

No, a specific brand is not mentioned, promoted or sponsored in the daydreaming themed pin source’s webpage.

Online webshop: a website that focuses on buying and selling goods.

Personal website: a website that focuses on distributing content related to a person’s life. Personal blog: the same type of webpage as a personal website but supported by a blog organisation such as, Blogspot and Wordpress.

Online influencer: a personal website or blog with sponsored content. Usually the owner

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uses sponsored brands in his/her personal posts. This is either mentioned in the post or on the website or blog.

Social media: an account from another social media platform, such as, Tumblr, Instagram or Google+.

Table 3. The coding system used for analysing daydreaming themed pin sources with on the left the coding system for the presence of online branding and on the right the coding system for types of webpages.

3.2.2 Case study on the presence of daydreaming content

Secondly, based on a front-end approach, the general content on the Pinterest platform was analysed in order to see how present daydreaming themes are on the platform, which provides insight into the type of media content and actors that are privileged on the platform. In line with the back-end approach, pin categories that correspond to daydreaming themes were analysed but from a front-end approach (see table 2). Thus, the general content on the platform was analysed to see what kind of content is privileged on the platform. In order to analyse general content on the platform pins from the Pinterest categories ‘Popular’ and ‘Everything’ were analysed as it can be reasoned from the title and description of these categories that they portray an overall mixture of the content distributed on the platform. From both categories 100 pins were gathered on the dates 21 April and 10 May 2016. Based on the same procedure as described above for the first part of the case study (3.2.1), an Excel sheet consisting of the pin source’s URLs was conducted (see appendix). These URLs were analysed based on content analysis to see what kind of media content is privileged on the platform in relation to the presence of daydreaming themes distinguished by pre-digital age literature on daydreaming (see table 2) (Campbell 1987; d’Astous and Deschenes 2005). If a pin source portrayed content that corresponded to another category from the Pinterest pin categories, this was also noted. Consequently, findings were made concerning the content of online daydreams in relation to online branding.

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4. Analysis

Having applied both a platform studies and digital methods approach to the Pinterest

platform, an analysis consisting of an analytical framework and case study were constructed of the platform. This analysis provides insight into the ways in which the Pinterest platform acts as a medium for online daydreaming and shapes user’s future selves and relation with online brands. This analysis consists of two parts, which both effort to answer different sub-research questions, which as a whole provides insight into the main sub-research question: how does the Pinterest platform act as a medium for online daydreaming? Firstly, an analytical framework was constructed based on an analysis of the front-end and back-end infrastructure of the platform, such as its tools, interface, algorithms and history. This framework provides insight into the arrangement of the platform, which shows how the Pinterest platform enables new practices for users to construct future selves in new media in relation to online brands. This analytical framework is divided into three sections, which each address a different part of the practice of online daydreaming enabled through the back-end and front-end

infrastructure of the platform.

Secondly, a case study was constructed, which focuses on the front-end and back-end of the Pinterest platform’s content. Consequently, insights into the media content and actors that are privileged on the platform were made. In particular, the role of online brands and daydreaming themed content on the platform were taken into account. These two parts of the analysis and its findings are addressed in more detail below.

4.1 Analytical framework

In order to provide an overall understanding of the Pinterest platform as an online

daydreaming medium, both the visible and less visible parts of the platform were analysed. Therefore, a platform studies approach was taken as the research method of this analytical framework. This has resulted in a platform critique of the Pinterest platform. The following factors on the platform were analysed in relation to online daydreaming: its tools, interface, algorithms and history. By analysing these factors of the platform in relation to the practice of daydreaming, the following analytical framework was constructed. It shows, from a platform studies perspective, how the platform facilitates overwhelmingly new and existing modes for online daydreaming besides other actions.

Daydreaming in the digital age: Pinterest as a medium for visualising future selves in relation to online brands