The Reposting Epidemic

I’ve been seeing an interesting trend ever since Pinterest has begun to rise in popularity - repost fever. I know this feature has existed in different ways on many social networks, but it seems to me that the usage of repost functionality on these networks has been changing recently.

I think there are two reasons for this:

  1. Repost functionality is beginning to be offered by the more popular social networks. Even Facebook now has a “share” option for links, images, and events.
  2. The level of integration between social networks in general is growing very rapidly. Not only can you repin someone else’s pin on Pinterest, but you can share it out to Twitter or Facebook at the same time.

Don’t get me wrong, I love having the ability to easily pass interesting videos, stories, and images on to my friends. What makes me sad about this influx of sharing, though, is the fact that it’s causing a decrease in the amount of original content I’m seeing, and an increase in the amount of sappy sayings on top of pictures of puppies and “me too” posts I have to scroll through to get to anything original. It’s gotten to the point where some people don’t seem to do anything but repost things that others have made.

Don’t believe me? Okay, fine. But tell me, how many times has this video shown up in your Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, or Google+ feed?

It makes me wonder: is there a point where increasing communication and the ability to share information between people actually begins to cause a decrease in creativity? Considering the cleverness of that guy’s marriage proposal, obviously not across the board. Still, I keep thinking that the overwhelming amount of content being pumped through our social networks must be having some kind of detrimental effect on us.

About Adam Platt

Adam Platt is a technologist with more than a decade of experience across the full stack. His passion for technology and penchant for rendering complex technical ideas into simple terms have made him an in-demand speaker. His resume includes BriForum, the PowerShell Summit, teaching engagements and more.

He is one of the 10 types of people who understand binary and he can solve a Rubik’s Cube.

About Adam Platt

Adam Platt is a technologist with more than a decade of experience across the full stack. His passion for technology and penchant for rendering complex technical ideas into simple terms have made him an in-demand speaker. His resume includes BriForum, the PowerShell Summit, teaching engagements and more.

He is one of the 10 types of people who understand binary and he can solve a Rubik’s Cube.