Reality Check.
There are a lot of things I love about Tumblr. The instant gratification is nice, but beyond that, I think there’s a lot of power in the spreading of ideas and images in a viral way.
There is, however, a lot of potential for people to be complete and utter idiots.
One of the things that drives me up the wall about Tumblr—About the CULTURE of Tumblr—is the squawking and flailing about credit, not over an image you yourself produced, but one which you fleeced from somewhere else: a photoshoot NOT shot by you, a film NOT shot by you, a piece of art NOT drawn by you. Yes, credit is nice when you edit something, credit is nice when you’re the first to post it somewhere, but here’s the deal, Tumblr:
Putting a few new layers on something in Photoshop doesn’t mean you own it.
Wake up, folks, and WELCOME TO THE INTERNETS, where anything you say or share is up for grabs. If you’re seeing something reblogged here without credit, imagine how many non-Tumblr locations it has been absconded to, how many message boards and blogs and Facebook accounts, OH NOES. Somewhere out there, right this moment, SOMEONE MIGHT BE USING THAT IMAGE TO MAKE NEW GRAPHICS. Better grab your smelling salts, you might just have a spell.
Perspective time: You have access to the internet, so I presume you’re not starving. You probably have access to fresh water and medical supplies. You probably don’t sleep in the dirt. Time to put on your big girl/boy panties and get over it.
