I Bought It On Instagram...

Social networks want shopping to be the next thing we do on their platforms. Are we ready to "heart" the BUY button?

-  Austin Carr, illustrations by Jamie Jones

When I moved into my new apartment a year ago, I tried to throw money at Pinterest. I felt too old for Ikea’s Förhöja accessories and blank, asylum-white walls, and embarrassed not to own my own window treatments or know exactly what a duvet was. I needed interior decorating help. I needed Pinterest. Its ever-growing inventory of pictures of bespoke fashion, Etsyesque knickknacks, works of art, and home decor now totals more than 50 billion “pins.” I easily found the styles I wanted for my new place, but when I tried to purchase them, my nightmare began. The reclaimed-wood coffee table I coveted was no longer for sale at the retailer linked to in the pin; neither was the brand. A Google Images search was fruitless. This happened again and again. If Pinterest had let me buy, I would have purchased everything through it. Instead I was frustrated by having to search elsewhere.