# Does this Social Media behavior bother anyone else? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 24, 2017, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-social-media-behavior-bother-anyone-else/794581 "2017-08-24T18:57:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2017, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-social-media-behavior-bother-anyone-else/794581/1 "2017-08-24T18:57:59Z")
I have a Facebook friend (whom I have never met in real life but was a friend of a friend) who seems otherwise very nice but will take jokes from a handful of Twitter accounts and post them as their own. People reading their page have no idea and will constantly complement them on their humor. I know I probably shouldn’t care but as a person who has performed stand up comedy, joke stealing offends me. I have never said anything openly and probably never will because Facebook is not worth it although at one time I had considered “innocently” sharing the original stolen tweet on my page but I didn’t. My only passive aggressive reaction is to not like or comment on those posts. I know this happens a lot and there are Twitter and Instagram accounts out there that make a lot of money stealing other people’s stuff and this is just a person convincing their friends they are funnier than they really are but still… Does this kind of thing bother you? What other minor social media annoyances bother you more than they should? ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2017, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-social-media-behavior-bother-anyone-else/794581/2 "2017-08-24T19:39:41Z")
Is this person’s name Amy Schumer? ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2017, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-social-media-behavior-bother-anyone-else/794581/3 "2017-08-24T20:29:48Z")
I copied and pasted your OP to my Facebook page so it looks like I am asking these questions. I’ll let you know if there are any responses 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2017, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-social-media-behavior-bother-anyone-else/794581/4 "2017-08-24T20:31:57Z")
All social media behavior bothers me. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2017, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-social-media-behavior-bother-anyone-else/794581/5 "2017-08-24T22:11:10Z")
Social media is \*based \*on the concept of sharing/reposting/retweeting content. Do you expect nobody in the world to tell a joke unless they’ve made it up themselves? ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2017, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-social-media-behavior-bother-anyone-else/794581/6 "2017-08-24T22:41:09Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > Social media is \*based \*on the concept of sharing/reposting/retweeting content. Do you expect nobody in the world to tell a joke unless they’ve made it up themselves? It’s fine if you give credit to the original source and not cut and paste it as if it’s you own. Thought that that was obvious in my description. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2017, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-social-media-behavior-bother-anyone-else/794581/7 "2017-08-24T22:46:19Z")
Most people don’t know the original source for most jokes they tell. If they remember anything about the source at all, it’s just going to be “some guy at the bar told me…”, or the like. And the guy at the bar probably heard it from his cousin, and the cousin probably heard it from someone at work, and so on. ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2017, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-social-media-behavior-bother-anyone-else/794581/8 "2017-08-24T22:47:57Z")
Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity. Maybe they don’t understand the “share” function, and C&Ping is their only way of making posts. ---
**Author:** ![BobBitchin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ea924/32.png) [@BobBitchin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobBitchin)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2017, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-social-media-behavior-bother-anyone-else/794581/9 "2017-08-24T22:54:04Z")
In my opinion, I never thought joke stealing was a thing, off stage. I also never assume a joke told by a non performer was written by them, and any compliments they get for their humor, is based on which jokes they choose to retell and which ones they don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2017, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-social-media-behavior-bother-anyone-else/794581/10 "2017-08-25T00:02:32Z")
FWIW in my story above the person reads something funny on twitter and posts it as if they thought of it themselves and accepts the accolades when people tell them how funny they are. They are stealing not sharing. Sharing wouldn’t bother me one bit. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2017, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-social-media-behavior-bother-anyone-else/794581/11 "2017-08-25T00:08:10Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Most people don’t know the original source for most jokes they tell. If they remember anything about the source at all, it’s just going to be “some guy at the bar told me…”, or the like. And the guy at the bar probably heard it from his cousin, and the cousin probably heard it from someone at work, and so on. That’s true. But it’s one thing when you retell a joke you heard in person, paraphrasing and adding your own take. Even with professional comedians who “steal” jokes, they’re at least _performing_ them personally. Telling other people’s jokes shouldn’t be any worse than, say, being a cover band. Maybe you’re not original, but you’re entertaining. But just copy-pasting text from somewhere without attribution? What are you adding? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2017, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-social-media-behavior-bother-anyone-else/794581/12 "2017-08-25T00:17:24Z")
You’re adding audience. If a joke is enjoyable, and some person had never heard it before but now does hear if from you, then you’re increasing the enjoyment in the world. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2017, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-social-media-behavior-bother-anyone-else/794581/13 "2017-08-25T02:43:15Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > You’re adding audience. If a joke is enjoyable, and some person had never heard it before but now does hear if from you, then you’re increasing the enjoyment in the world. You could do that _and_ have a link to the original. Again, this is only relevant for people who are literally copy/pasting something. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2017, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-social-media-behavior-bother-anyone-else/794581/14 "2017-08-25T06:39:55Z")
Yeah, that sort of thing bothers me. I’ll even search out and share the original tweet or facebook post if someone is sharing a screen shot (or other semi-attributed) non-dynamic version. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2017, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-social-media-behavior-bother-anyone-else/794581/15 "2017-08-25T17:50:00Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > You could do that _and_ have a link to the original. > > Again, this is only relevant for people who are literally copy/pasting something. But how is the average person to even know where the original came from? If they saw it on Twitter or elsewhere, chances are the person who tweeted also saw it somewhere else and repeated it, and so did the person they c&p’d it from. And who’s to say there even is one verifiable original source? In the 70s, probably millions of people made up “Sunshine on my shoulders make me sunburn” independently of each other. More recently, all the potty-mouthed chef jokes when Wichita hired their current police chief. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2017, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-social-media-behavior-bother-anyone-else/794581/16 "2017-08-25T18:39:53Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > But how is the average person to even know where the original came from? Are we supposed to be listing a source for jokes that we tell? I’d have to attribute most of mine to “Some Old Jewish Guy”. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2017, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-social-media-behavior-bother-anyone-else/794581/17 "2017-08-25T18:40:53Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > All social media behavior bothers me. I agree, and to paraphrase Grouch Marx, I find it difficult to be a member of any group that will let me join. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2017, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-social-media-behavior-bother-anyone-else/794581/18 "2017-08-25T19:30:59Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Are we supposed to be listing a source for jokes that we tell? Yes? How hard is it to precede it with “Saw this on Twitter” vs. pretending you wrote it yourself? ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2017, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-social-media-behavior-bother-anyone-else/794581/19 "2017-08-25T19:45:33Z")
No, this doesn’t bother me in the slightest. Frankly, the OP sounds like he’s pissed because someone on FB (that he doesn’t even know) is getting more laughs than he is. I doubt the OP would care if the person in question were C&Ping crappy jokes that nobody laughed at. Also, having a good sense of humor means knowing which jokes are funny, and which are not. So from the sound of it, people are right to compliment his sense of humor. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2017, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-social-media-behavior-bother-anyone-else/794581/20 "2017-08-25T20:14:29Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > Yes? > > How hard is it to precede it with “Saw this on Twitter” vs. pretending you wrote it yourself? I had thought that posting a joke does not intend creation thereof. …I think… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-social-media-behavior-bother-anyone-else/794581.md?page=2)