i just want to make a little rant here about how instagram and pinterest are absolute shit sites for content creators.
not only do photos, artworks, gifs, and edits get reposted there by the thousands on a daily basis, there’s almost always no credit given to the original creator. and even when the said stolen content is reported, it’s nearly impossible to have it taken down (especially on instagram, believe me, i have tried MULTIPLE TIMES). this is especially bad with fanwork, because instagram doesn’t recognize how editing a gif of a show, or making a doodle of famous characters can be original content. the audacity.
the worst thing about it though, is definitely how “repost” culture is normalized on these websites.
i know tumblr isn’t exactly perfect, and there are still people on here who repost content. but these offenders are more easily taken down, i think, since tumblr culture holds its content creators to a higher regard, and therefore, do not tolerate such behavior.
but the people who mindlessly browse pinterest or instagram don’t care where the pretty pictures they see came from. they don’t take the time to look up the original maker, and give them the exposure or praise they deserve. they’ll just engage with the reposted work and go on with their day. and it’s even worse with the people who repost, of course, who only care about elevating their own brands and their own accounts.
most of the people i have confronted about reposting my work either cuss at me, block me, or get other accounts in their network to harass me. they don’t care about my feelings because they don’t respect what i do. and they don’t respect what i do because they don’t understand or know how to do it. all they’ve ever done is click save or screenshot. no need to learn photoshop or anything, no need to come up with a original concept. they can just copy and they’re good to go.
and on pinterest and instagram, this bad behavior is rewarded by tens of thousands of mindless “likes and shares” from its largely ignorant and apathetic user base. and there’s no way to punish them either, seeing as these websites refuse to take action. because they know a lot of the people who use their websites, and therefore give them the most revenue, are those said accounts that steal other people’s works.
i don’t know where i’m going with this. i guess i just want to air out my frustration at how absolutely unfair all of this is, and how it just DRAINS me as a content creator. i love making gifs and edits and drawings, and i love sharing it with people. but sometimes, it’s just not worth the effort. i no longer have the same drive to create and share my work, and i know i’m not the only one who feels this way. and it’s tragic how shit like this can easily drive creatives out of fandom spaces.
