Okay, can I just be honest for a second?
I’m so frustrated. Like — genuinely upset in a way that makes me question why I’m even doing this. And I know that might sound dramatic, but I mean it. Lately, I’ve been watching people blatantly steal content. Not “inspired by,” not “adapted from,” not “I put my own spin on it.” I mean full-on copy and paste. Word for word. Someone else’s recipe, someone else’s caption, someone else’s video — re-uploaded like it was theirs all along.
And somehow… they’re the ones getting all the views.
At first, it was recipe content that made me feel this way, because that’s what I’m closest to. I’ve seen people take entire posts, from creators who clearly put in the time, love, and intention, and repost them like they just woke up and invented banana bread. But it’s not just about food. It’s everything. This whole copy-and-paste trend is everywhere right now.
We’ve all seen the TikToks — split screens with someone else’s original video on one side and a Subway Surfers game or someone cutting soap on the other. People reposting trending audio with the same jokes, same captions, same edits… and somehow getting more traction than the person who actually made the thing.
Like… are we really rewarding whoever reposts fastest instead of who created it first?
Meanwhile, I’m over here doing my absolute best to be real. To be original. To credit people when I’m inspired. I share where recipes come from. I talk about the story behind them. I make the food. I write my own captions. I film my own videos. I show up with heart, not just to create content, but to make mine.
And still, it feels like I’m screaming into the void.
It honestly burns. Because I’m just getting started in this space. I don’t have a manager. I don’t have a social media team. I don’t have a viral strategy laid out on a mood board. It’s just me — showing up, learning, trying, creating. And it’s not perfect, but it’s real. And when I see people win by cheating the system — by literally copying and pasting someone else’s work — it makes me feel invisible. Like, doing the right thing just isn’t enough anymore.
And that sucks. Because I love creating. I love sharing. I love talking about food, memories, and cozy things that matter. But how am I supposed to stay motivated when people are building platforms off of stolen work, and people like me — who are actually trying — get buried under the algorithm?
I know content is meant to be shared. Recipes evolve. Trends catch on. No one owns garlic or butter or a punchline. But credit matters. Effort matters. Integrity should matter.
So yeah, it stings. Watching someone take a recipe that doesn’t belong to them, throw it into Canva, slap a trending audio on it, and go viral like they invented cooking. Or watching some random account repost a creator’s original content following a Minecraft parkour loop and rack up more engagement than the person who made it. It makes me feel like maybe there’s no space left for people who want to do it right. Those who want to grow slowly. Honestly. Authentically.
I don’t know. Maybe I’m being too sensitive. Maybe this is just what the internet is now. But I can’t shake the feeling that it shouldn’t be this way. That the people who create should be the ones lifted up. Not the ones who steal.
If you’re feeling this too — if you’re burnt out, disillusioned, or just tired of watching people cut corners and win — I see you. I really do. You’re not the only one. I’m right here with you, still showing up, even when it feels like no one notices.
Because even if it’s not the fastest way… being honest still means something.
And I have to believe it’ll matter in the long run.
