As social media creators, borrowing content is a big part of the game. Looking back on the work I’ve created, some of it is completely organic. However, a large part of my content uses borrowed media to some extent. From photos to videos to music and more, I’ve had a helping hand in creating social media content. It’s a great time-saver and it allows me to stay focused and see the forest through the trees.

The biggest drawback to borrowing content is having to pay a pretty penny. Any creative output — from something as big as a Hollywood script to something as small as the font used for the poster — is copyrighted. It’s fantastic that artists can own their work, but paying for licenses adds up fast. That’s where Creative Commons comes in. 

Creative Commons is a nonprofit organization that strives to solve this problem. Their goal is to allow creators to retain ownership of their work and choose how they license it — as opposed to the public domain where intellectual property opens up to the public after a copyright expires.

Just because you see the CC symbol attached to a piece of work doesn’t mean you should stop there. There are different levels to Creative Commons, and understanding what each license says will help you find the content that is right for you. Some licenses ask you to attribute the author when you use their work. Share-alike licenses require you to share your new work under the same license as the work you borrowed from. Non-commercial licenses bar you from borrowing content and generating a profit from that work. Finally, non-derivative licenses do not allow you to modify the original work. 

If you want to learn more about social media compliance and governance, this book will prepare you for navigating the laws and codes surrounding social media.

It’s easy to get wrapped up in the idea that our work needs to have a price tag on it. And, while many of us make a living off the work we produce, the beautiful thing about Creative Commons is that it allows art to develop as artists help out other artists. Instead of making art a “pay to play” endeavor, free licensing breaks down the barrier and allows writers, musicians, designers, and more to hone their crafts. Having a platform where artists can share their work for free can help other artists springboard off of previous ideas. A great example of this is the song “Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter, which heavily uses a looped beat from the sound library Splice. Another great example is how Gorillaz used a preset on a keyboard for their hit song “Clint Eastwood”. This all goes to show how great art doesn’t have to be original — instead, it can sometimes be a continuation of work made by someone else. 

While creators have used stock media for quite some time, the landscape is beginning to change. Over the past few years, generative AI has forced its way into the stock market (no, not that one — the stock photo/video/music market). What limitations are there on using AI media? If copyrighted material is used to train AI learning, then how can you license the generated media? The Creative Commons organization believes that this situation may be considered fair use and would not result in a copyright strike. In addition, there are social implications to using AI media over stock media. This topic is quick to spark debate, and there is a large contingency that believes AI is antithetical to art. Others see AI as something that can create disinformation and confusion. Using this media as a replacement for creative works can risk alienating parts of your audience that are adverse to AI. If you are wondering whether to incorporate generative AI into your workflow, these may be things to consider. 

While there are many amazing things about Creative Commons licenses, it is not a perfect system. One part that may be disconcerting is who exactly gets to use your content. Creative Commons says everyone can — and that really means everyone. Licenses are non-revocable, meaning if someone is using your content in a way you don’t like, or you just don’t like that person in general, there’s not much you can do. Non-derivative licenses help to curb this problem, but they can’t stop every case like this from happening. Another problem is that your license may be misused. Creative Commons has steps to take if someone is misusing your work, but it is largely up to you to enforce your licenses, which can be time-consuming and just plain exhausting at times. 

I’ll leave it up to you to determine if the pros outweigh the cons, but I certainly think that Creative Commons is a great resource for content creators, especially in the world of social media. Have you used work that was licensed under Creative Commons? Is there anything else that you do or do not like about this system?

Author: Ben Rosenstiel

Ben joined the NISM team as a Social Media Strategist in June of 2024. He graduated from Northern Kentucky University with a Bachelor of Arts in Electronic Media & Broadcasting in 2022 and with a Master of Business Administration in 2023. Ben enjoys making content as a Social Media Associate for the Kenton County Public Library. In his free time, he enjoys playing live music in the Cincinnati area, writing music with his band, and spending time with his amazing girlfriend either reading or watching TV (usually Vampire Diaries).