Dear Diary,
Where do I begin? There is so much being spoken about me, I wonder whether I have anything left to say! I am okay if millions of people know so much about me. It makes me feel good. I only have one confession to make. People who make me – content creators, are aware of it. But on some days, they seem to forget it. I do not understand why. There is so much talent, there is so much potential. Why do they have to still do it? Oh wait, I did not mention what they do, right? Sorry. Diary, I am talking about plagiarism. For them, it is easy and convenient. No efforts were taken in creating something original. But what about me? I feel like I am in the same place I was a few days, weeks or years ago. The venue is different, but the feeling is still the same. And I get bored! Feels like a déjà vu moment for me. There are so many alternatives for them. Yet they choose to put me in the same place I have been before. Little annoying, don’t you think? If they are facing a creative block, I understand. I am empathetic like that, you know? But at least care to dress me up differently. It is called, repurposed content, if you were wondering. I will feel the air of something fresh, even if it is not completely new i.e. made from the scratch. If nothing else, they can look around, talk to people. I am available! More than free Wi-Fi, trust me. But no. On those lazy days, when they can’t get their creative juices flowing or on those busy days when they have to move faster than the hands of the clock (they call it deadlines – a friend with whom I have bittersweet moments), they prefer to look past my preferences and interests. Personally, as much as I hate it, I try to understand their situation. Everyone has bad days, right? But I hope they do know the repercussions of this unethical move. For starters, like I just mentioned, IT IS WRONG! But well, who cares. I can already hear them defending by saying – everyone does it, everyone needs to, nobody needs to know. What happens when someone knows? Expulsion from their institutions, termination from their organisations, and an unerasable stain on their reputation! If I have to explain in the terms they understand, I would like to remind them that the Google page rankings they desire for, will remain a dream if plagiarism is their reality. Now the search engines know where I have been before (Feels like I have no privacy, haha!). My situation is like that of the fashion police and celebrities. If a celebrity repeats their outfit, they cannot get away with it, right? So, when I appear in the same costume in two places, SEO knows! Soon the team who created me will never know how it feels to be a part of the top rankings. So much to lose for a little convenience, right? If you think about it on a deeper level, do they ever think how will they feel if someone copied their work? Anger, disappointment, deceit? Or something else. I do not know much about their emotions, although they emote them through me. You get the point, right? Why does something to others which they would not like it being done to themselves? Also, if it is unintentional, spend a few extra bucks and minutes and get me checked on any of the plagiarism checker tools. It is simple, if they care about me and them, of course.
Before this looks like a lecture on philosophy, I think I should stop. Though they know what is best for me, I hope they come across this diary someday, like in movies you know? Where they understand how I truly feel about this behaviour of theirs and if they wish to, they can work towards making me happy. Until then, I will go places, hoping not to have a déjà vu moment wherever I go!