Check the terms and conditions of the site you are using. These often allow you to re-share what others have posted on the same platform.

Others can use the same terms and conditions to re-share your public content through the same platform.

The site owner may also be able to use your content for different purposes, so you may want to consider this when you post publicly.

Can I post items on social media that I have found elsewhere?

Sharing photos, images and comments on social media that you have taken from elsewhere is usually not allowed in copyright law unless one of the following is the case:

• the wording is so general or commonplace that it would be impossible for the creator to identify it as their own
• you are re-posting material from another social media site in a way that is covered by its terms and conditions
• you are using it in a way that is covered by one of the legal exceptions to copyright law
• you have written permission from the owner of the content (if you have permission, keep it safe in case of any queries or challenges later.)

You may be able to use content from copyright sources, including social media posts, in non-commercial research as long as:

• The amount you are using is limited
• There is no potential financial impact on the copyright owner
• Each item you use is clearly acknowledged so that the original source can be identified

You may also be able to use the ‘text and data-mining exception for non-commercial research’ to carry out computational analysis of social media content to identify patterns of language use or posting activity.

You can reduce the risk of copyright infringement when using social media for research by

• Linking to posts in their original context rather than making copies – sharing links does not count as sharing content. Additional referencing does not need to be included as you are guiding users to the original source through the link
• Referencing any items you do copy clearly as close to the copied item as possible, so the original poster and the source platform are acknowledged
• Using computational text and data mining for studying patterns rather than manual review, increasing the anonymity of individuals
• Seeking permission from the copyright owner if you are planning to use the content for any study that could be considered commercial or controversial. (This may be required for ethical approval)

UWS guidance for use of social media by students, staff and university representatives (pdf). Please contact us if you need a copy of this guidance in an alternative format.