Mundane Content on Social Media: Creation, Circulation, and the Copyright Problem

Abstract

This article examines the practices of social media users and explores how people value, protect, and circulate content on social media platforms. Legal scholarship shows us that much of the mundane online distribution and consumption of media infringes copyright law and as a result raises complex questions around the distribution and circulation of content. Through exploring this misalignment between copyright law and everyday social media practices, this article identifies existing norms on social media platforms and asks whether they could provide guidance for a future copyright reform agenda. Drawing on a series of group interviews with people who identified as regular users of social media, we explored emergent norms of attribution and circulation. Applying a grounded theory approach, an emergent thematic analysis of the data uncovered a range of responses coalescing around the themes of attribution, platform norms, and commercialization. The data show that people make complex and nuanced decisions around when they should attribute content, seek permission to use content, or allow others to use their content. We suggest that these decisions are informed by the vernaculars of each platform and a critical assessment of the broader commercial logics of social media, which results in many people placing a greater importance around attribution. The authors conclude by proposing that rather than stretching the logic of a legal framework that is increasingly not fit for purpose for everyday social media content distribution, policymakers should take into account these emergent practices on social media platforms when considering reform opportunities.

You Made This? I Made This: Cultures of Automatic (Mis)attribution on Tiktok

“…The platform infrastructures, markets, and governance (Nieborg & Poell, 2018) of TikTok make it a highly 'spreadable' platform (Jenkins et al, 2013). Issues with attribution on spreadable social media platforms has been noted previously among creative communities (Perkel, 2016;Fiesler & Bruckman, 2014) as well as among everyday 'mundane' platform users (Meese and Hagedorn, 2019). Compared to users in creative communities, mundane users are frequently and incidentally involved in copyright infringement as part of their everyday activity (Tehranian, 2007).…”

Recommendation Algorithm in TikTok: Strengths, Dilemmas, and Possible Directions

“…More specifically, popular formats, audio clips and even licensed music are freely reused without any connection to the original source with impunity (Valdovinos Kaye, Rodriguez, & Wikstrom, 2020). For example, researchers from the University of Technology Sydney (Meese & Hagedorn, 2019) found that social media users are not actively engaging with the technicalities of copyright law even if they are aware of its concepts. In addition, unlike online creative communities (Perkel, 2011), centralized community discussions on authorship issues are blank on social media platforms.…”

Analisa Sosio-Yuridis Perlindungan Hak Cipta Terhadap Penyebarluasan Konten Tanpa Izin Melalui Media Sosial

“…Dalam risetnya, Meese dan Hagedorn menemukan bahwa pada tatanan global, para social media users telah memiliki awareness dari adanya perlindungan Hak Cipta, namun pada sisi lain masih belum memiliki pemahaman yang komprehensif terkait bagaimana perlindungan Hak Cipta itu ditegakkan. Lebih lanjut, hasil riset Meese dan Hagedorn juga mengindikasikan bahwa sudah terbentuk persepsi dimana perilaku social media users pada taraf global untuk tidak lagi melakukan pengunggahan ulang (reposting) dengan alasan estetika dan orisinalitas (Meese & Hagedorn, 2019).…”

“…Dengan berkembangnya penggunaan media sosial (social media), maka hal ini juga berdampak pada upaya perlindungan hukum terhadap Hak Cipta. Produksi dan distribusi dari konten media sosial (social media) yang sangat luas merupakan aspek utama dari berbagai platform media sosial yang populer (Meese & Hagedorn, 2019). Perluasan aspek produksi dan distribusi konten media sosial (social media) dimaksud juga turut mengakibatkan terjadinya pergeseran terhadap penafsiran dari jenisjenis Ciptaan yang diatur dalam Pasal 40 UU Hak Cipta, di mana pendistribusian dan penyebarluasan konten dalam media sosial (social media) mengalami perubahan maupun peleburan bentuk yang kemudian menimbulkan tantangan dalam kategorisasi Ciptaan yang termasuk ke dalam cakupan perlindungan UU Hak Cipta.…”