Nowadays, committing plagiarism is no stranger to anyone being that we get a lot of information online with the flick of a finger or more aptly put, with a few keystrokes in this digital age.
CONTROL + C, CONTROL + V: CONTENT THEFT TOOL
As a former educator, I’ve met a lot of students who are fond of working at the last minute and submit a simple “Copy-Paste” work without any citations from the sources they lifted from books or from the internet then claim it as their own. Do they really read these materials they copied from the web or books?
Committtee on Academic Conduct once defined plagiarism as, “using the ideas or writings of another as their own without giving due credit.”
This constant problem in school makes it harder for teachers to gauge their students’ own understanding of the lessons they teach because these students opted for an easy way out for the mere thought of “complying with the requirements.”
It may be a quick solution for an easy grade but still it defeats the purpose of learning.
THE AGE OF SOCIAL MEDIA: PLAGIARISM ENABLER
In the age of digital world, stealing content is an increasing problem across all social media platforms. Is it because it “has become socially acceptable in social media environment,” where everyone can loosely RETWEET, RESHARE, or REBLOG a certain post or idea?
The simple act of not using quotation marks on others works, and even sharing photos online with omitted owner’s watermark on the photo are common practices of content stealing in social media.
As a result, people have lost the values of accountability, credibility, and ethics.
HOW TO AVOID PLAGIARISM IN THE DIGITAL WORLD
Here are the best practices before sharing, retweeting, or reblogging someone else’s works in any social media platform:
Cite your sources – author, date of publication
Use quotation marks on others works or statements
Share, retweet, or reblog posts or ideas showing the original source or use hyperlinks
Learn the art of paraphrasing – read and understand what you’ve read then write in your own words
Always tag or mention the author or content creator whose works or ideas you used in your posts
Following these best online practices show courtesy and good ethics to people you got your ideas from.
#lifeisbeyeeutiful is in one with Globe’s #makeITsafePH campaign and stresses on educating ourselves and be more responsible and accountable in sharing content in all social media platforms. Always remember that there’s always a thin line difference between social media sharing and content stealing 🙂
So, share or retweet responsibly with a purpose and not steal ideas.
ABOUT GLOBE’S #MAKEITSAFEPH CAMPAIGN
Globe Telecom takes it upon itself to ensure that the society as a whole remains safe from numerous threats facing everyone using the internet. This concern gave birth to the #makeITsafePH campaign under its CyberPinoy cyber wellness program. The campaign covers all stakeholders such as big corporations, small and medium-scale enterprises, government agencies, colleges and universities, and the general public.
A former educator and now working as a freelance writer. Simply living her own version of life’s passion – music, mobile photography, story telling, road trips and food trailing! 🙂