Why aren't we just stealing all of the top content from Reddit and posting it here?

DrTautology@lemmy.world to No Stupid Questions@lemmy.world – 116 points –

Reddit doesn't actually own any of the content, right? Neither do any of the contributors? Seems like a good way to fuck Reddit.

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Help me understand how reposting fucks the content creators? They are simply having their labor exploited by Reddit. They aren't being compensated for their work, and a billion dollar company is reaping all the financial benefits.

I feel like with all the protests the real core issue, or what people should be angry about was not really hammered home. Reddit is a business and Lemmy is not, right? Reddit's business model relies on labor exploitation of not just the content creators, but the moderators. Reddit expects these people to work for them, but provides no pay and on top of that shows a general disregard, contempt and disgusting for those people who allow them to exist and make their execs rich. That is what I find most disgusting, and feel like this point was just glossed over by everyone that was pissed off by the whole api thing.

So what you're saying is, Reddit is fucking creators by not compensating them, but when you take that work and repost it without compensation, it's ok?

Besides, the great thing about Lemmy is that it's not Reddit. It has a whole different vibe. I think it's worth maintaining that.

No that's not what I'm trying to say. I'm saying that content creators on Reddit are already being fucked. The only perceivable benefit they get from Reddit is exposure. So I would argue that reposting their content on other platforms benefits them. It can also be done in a respectful and ethical way—providing attributions for example.

Because they own the content and control over how it is distributed. They chose to grant it to reddit, and you have decided that also grants you a license, although it actually doesn't. You are taking it anyway which violates their rights to control their content and who may distribute it.

I agree with you that the users are being exploited by Reddit, but that doesn't mean that we can come in and further exploit them in the interest of trying to avenge them. That should be (and legally is) their choice to do or not to do.

And I also agree with you that the exploitation is the issue. The API stuff just shined a light on it (or should have anyway, but I also agree that it became just a footnote in the story).