I really wanted to share a little bit of how I spent my time during my two weeks of digital rest -- I even have the post all set up, but it will have to wait until Friday -- because I just have to address what’s gnawing at me.
I have serious issues with Pinterest.
I started pinning before people were really talking about it, before it really blew up in popularity. When I came across it, I thought it was one of the coolest things ever. What an awesome, aesthetic & organized way to bookmark, because that's how I use it: as a personal inspiration board as well as for tagging recipes I want to try. As much as I love Pinterest, I always had issues with people not crediting sources properly, which only became worse as Pinterest grew. I find few things as frustrating as getting lost in a Tumblr blackhole when you just want to find the original post. I couldn’t really blame Pinterest though, could I? They make it really easy to link or even update the source URL; but they also make it easy to pin just anything whether it is the original source or not. Months ago, I decided I wouldn’t repin anything not from the original source. I even went so far as to delete any of my pins if I could not find the original source. Yes, this took quite a bit of time - valuable time I could have been scouring for more pins, right?
I’ve wanted to talk about proper crediting since this post. I spent two hours tracking down the original source for the graphic. Of course, I first saw it as a pin, which took me to a blog, which credited another blog, which actually wasn’t the original source at all but a pinner who added it to her own board, likely repinned because she didn’t know where it came from either…you see how easily this is becoming one big Pinterest loop? (A Google image search finally took me to the original.)
One of the first posts I really delved into after my hiatus was Kal Barteski’s on Pinterest Etiquette. She conveyed what I have wanted to say for awhile in such a well-thought out & organized way. As I delved deeper into issues evolving around Pinterest, reading article after article on Monday, I realized how the above is really just the tip of the iceberg.
You know what I mindlessly accepted without giving proper thought?
Pinterest’s Terms of Use:
You acknowledge and agree that you are solely responsible for all Member Content that you make available through the Site, Application and Services. Accordingly, you represent and warrant that: (i) you either are the sole and exclusive owner of all Member Content that you make available through the Site, Application and Services or you have all rights, licenses, consents and releases that are necessary to grant to Cold Brew Labs the rights in such Member Content, as contemplated under these Terms; and (ii) neither the Member Content nor your posting, uploading, publication, submission or transmittal of the Member Content or Cold Brew Labs’ use of the Member Content (or any portion thereof) on, through or by means of the Site, Application and the Services will infringe, misappropriate or violate a third party’s patent, copyright, trademark, trade secret, moral rights or other proprietary or intellectual property rights, or rights of publicity or privacy, or result in the violation of any applicable law or regulation...
Member Content:
By making available any Member Content through the Site, Application or Services, you hereby grant to Cold Brew Labs a worldwide, irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, royalty-free license, with the right to sublicense, to use, copy, adapt, modify, distribute, license, sell, transfer...and otherwise exploit such Member Content only on, through or by means of the Site, Application or Services.
Have you really thought about what this is saying?
Did you know Pinterest actually downloads full-size copies of images onto their servers? This means even if you delete a pin, it still exists on their site. All those pins I deleted because I wanted to be better, they didn't go anywhere. They just don't show up on my boards any longer. I still receive updates, on pins I know I have deleted, saying "so & so repinned your pin".
Pinterest is great exposure though, right?
That's what I thought. I thought I was doing the artists & photographers I love a favor by pinning their work. Now I am not so sure (read over the terms of use again). I'm actually a little sick with guilt the more I learn.
A single pin can generate more traffic to a site than a year’s worth of Google searches. Wow. Unfortunately, it is not always driven to the deserving source. As more companies realize this, they will follow the trend to plagiarize for their own self interest; it's imperative to quell the exploitation before it gets even more out of hand.
What is happening now?
Pinterest recently provided a code to allow websites to "opt out" of pinning. While I appreciate they are actually responding, I'm not sure how I feel about this. Why do creators have to opt out? Shouldn't people be opting in. This is obviously more about protecting the infringer rather than the creator.
I know this is really complicated – I’m still sifting through it myself -- & it is easy to discard. What’s the big deal? If you put your stuff on the internet, you should expect people to steal/borrow/repost it. Yaddayadda. I know what a lot of the response will be, & this is frightening. It shows a huge lack of integrity & only perpetuates misinformation. In a generation that is becoming increasingly (& amazingly) digital, among the uprisings of social medias, let’s slow down & think.
When the common reaction is to brush it aside & just keep pinning, tweeting, & FBing on autopilot, think about what this really means & who it affects. This isn’t just about crediting appropriately (though that is important); it is about questioning the exploitation (Pinterest’s own words) of the amazing work of artists, designers, writers, bloggers, & small shop owners just trying to etch out a living – as well as any of YOU who share your own ideas, thoughts, photos, & content on the internet.
I'm sure a lot of this is unclear, & I only brushed across a few of the issues. Most of the facts I have gathered are from the following articles. I didn’t want to regurgitate their hard work & researched information, so I urge you to read these. Obviously, they have given me a lot to think about.
Is Pinterest a Haven for Copyright Violations? by GreekGeek.
Pinterest.com and Copyright by Sean Locke
Post No Bills by AndreaWrote
It might be strange how passionate I have become over the issue of intellectual property; I am not trying to etch out a living in design, art, photography, or even blogging. Any of my dabblings are purely hobby-based; but I know how much time, energy, & heart goes into creating something, so it pulls at me.
The other night, I told Dave I really want this generation to surprise me. I can't help but see a lot of laziness & apathy in the general masses, heightened by our attachment to digital communities & identities. It's the absolute digital age. See how amazing it is! Look at everything we have at our fingertips! Let's not waste it.
Take a stand. Think. Do something.
I love the motto Kal seems to be embracing in her intellectual property initiatives, so I will share it here:
STAND UP & DO BETTER.
I hope we will,
& I hope we stand up & demand others (like Pinterest, Facebook & the like) to DO BETTER TOO.