Threads is about to shake up how we share memes and viral content with its upcoming “use media” feature. However, what sounds like a solution to content theft might actually be making it worse.

Here’s the deal: Long-press a photo or video, hit “use media,” and you can repost it with a tiny watermark crediting the original creator. No need to quote-post or link back. Sounds convenient, right? Threads’ boss Adam Mosseri describes it as a “quick, easy way” to join trending conversations.

However, creators are furious. Imagine someone taking your artwork, slapping a tiny credit in the corner, and potentially getting more engagement than your original post. Meta claims they’re trying to shift power from content aggregators (think meme accounts) back to creators. They’ve even let users opt out of having their content “reused.” Yet nothing stops anyone from simply screenshotting and reposting anyway.

This raises concerns that Meta may have effectively legalized content theft under the pretense of “proper attribution.” For a platform desperate to compete with X, this move might attract more users sharing viral content – but at what cost to the creators who make that content in the first place?

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