Plagiarism is NOT COOL—
A few years ago, when I was still new to Instagram, I remember reading a post by @LadyWhalen (update: now @UnexpectedFamilyOuting). She wrote about how someone had stolen one of her pieces and republished it without credit. She was understandably upset about this. I think any of us would be.
And now it’s my turn to write a similar post.
I’ve only really been active on Instagram these past few months, but I have been making a concerted effort. I’ve started making my own graphics and quotes, and I love it when they resonate with people. It feels like another aspect of this generally amazing community.
Related: Adrian’s Elephant Graphics Blog
I even added links to my website, where people could download different versions to post on their own. I encourage this, because I love the thought of my words living out in the world without me.
…But maybe not entirely without me.
I was scrolling through Instagram yesterday, and I came across a quote that really resonated. And then I realized—It was mine. And it was posted on a public account, using my font, but not my Instagram handle. They even got rid of my elephant. And man—that’s not cool.
It’s not cool to steal someone else’s words and post them as your own. It’s not cool when you do it accidentally, and it is so much less cool when you do it on purpose.
It’s not hard to give someone credit. It is hard to remove someone’s credit. It is hard to remove someone’s background. How did you even do that?
And yes, maybe I’m rambling, and maybe I am taking this a bit too hard. But sometimes I do that. Sometimes I am a mama bear. Or maybe in this case, a mama elephant.
And this mama elephant is pretty damn pissed.
This post was previously published on Instagram.
Related Posts:
Graphics Blog: Parenting in Loss (source of original graphic)
Miranda’s Blog: STILL a Mama Bear, and STILL Pissed
