I'm Stealing That

I think the greatest compliment I can receive is when I share a joke or story and somebody says "I'm stealing that." It means that what I created is so excellent that they cannot keep it to themselves and are compelled to show it to others.

I find this behavior interesting partly because it makes me think of the old saying, "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." And it is flattering to know that I've made something so good that people will spend their energy reproducing my work instead of making their own.

That goes along with the other curiosity, which is that all of modern culture is based on sharing people's work. Social networking in all its forms largely is used to share people's creative work. It's as though "I'm stealing that" is the defining phrase of the generation.

Part of me is excited to know how vast the network of distribution is. And part of me is saddened that many people would rather share than create themselves.