Attitudes About 'Fair Use' and Content Sharing in Social Media Applications

Abstract

The shift to Social Networking Services (SNSs) and mobile messaging apps such as Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat that rely on User-Generated Content (UGC) has challenged notions of fair use under U.S. copyright law. It remains unclear what understandings are common among these app users regarding legal and ethical norms in reusing artistic, journalistic and other types of content outside of online remixer spaces. Our online survey of N=106 users of N=48 SNS platforms and apps measured attitudes regarding fair use under U.S. copyright law and attribution for work that is shared. Participants reported a high level of agreement with more-restrictive conditions for content publishing and reuse. However, analyses of ratings and responses to open-ended questions reveal tension between issues of intellectual integrity and intellectual property.