"A few years back, while working on my Creative Writing EMA, I took a leap and penned a personal essay that flowed from a place I didn’t even know was there. The result was a rush of joy and accomplishment—capped off by an incredibly high mark that made it all the more rewarding."
---- The author
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Plagiarism is copying someone else’s work and presenting it as your work. It is a complex issue rooted in more than just dishonesty—it is an obstacle that ultimately undermines a writer’s potential for genuine creativity and self-discovery. In a world increasingly driven by content creation, the stakes are high. With the rise of paid writing opportunities and platforms that reward originality, the temptation to plagiarize lingers. However, understanding the consequences of plagiarism, not only in ethical terms but also in the context of personal growth, reveals why it is so essential to resist.
Plagiarism is fundamentally an act of theft. By copying another person’s ideas, words, or structures, the plagiarizer robs not only the original creator of their due credit but also themselves of the chance to develop their own voice. Writing, at its best, is the magical flow that is found in the excitement of discovery and personal accomplishment. Every essay, article, or post should be an exercise in articulating one's unique perspective. This process requires wrestling with thoughts, shaping them into coherent ideas, and refining one’s voice through trial and error. Those who shortcut this process by borrowing from others may never encounter their true voice because they’re not pushing their creative boundaries.
In the digital age, plagiarism takes on new dimensions. On social media, for example, reposting or rephrasing someone’s words without attribution has become surprisingly common. With algorithms that reward virality and engagement, it’s easy to see how tempting it is to take credit for a resonant thought or popular post. Yet this too is plagiarism, and it reflects a hollow form of self-expression. Just as in traditional writing, social media plagiarism prevents the user from contributing anything truly original to the conversation, reducing their presence to a collection of borrowed thoughts.
Writing platforms that pay for articles and incentivize high engagement amplify this problem. The pressure to produce can create a temptation to rely on others’ ideas or even to regurgitate content, rather than formulating something new. But while the temptation to plagiarize may be understandable, it’s a path that comes with heavy costs. Many platforms and search engines, including Google, have become increasingly effective at identifying and penalizing plagiarized content. Google’s search algorithm, for instance, actively lowers the rankings of plagiarized articles, pushing them further down the search results or even delisting them altogether. This means that far from gaining visibility, a plagiarized article is more likely to be buried, reaching fewer readers and diminishing its value to both the writer and the platform.
Moreover, platforms that pay for original writing often have strict anti-plagiarism policies, and detection tools make it relatively easy to identify copied content. A writer who attempts to plagiarize risks more than a poor Google ranking—they may find themselves banned from reputable platforms or discredited in the eyes of potential employers. Given the reputation damage and opportunity loss, the short-term gain of copying is far outweighed by the long-term repercussions.
Perhaps the most insidious consequence of plagiarism is that it stifles growth. Writing is a skill, one that develops only with practice, self-reflection, and courage to take creative risks. By relying on others’ work, a plagiarist avoids these challenges and, in doing so, halts their own journey toward authenticity. Without grappling with the labour and joy of creating something uniquely theirs, a writer forfeits the chance to find their true voice that is overtly their own.
In a world that celebrates originality, plagiarism offers a hollow shortcut. It may provide a fleeting sense of accomplishment or recognition, but it ultimately deprives the plagiarist of their opportunity to grow, express, and connect genuinely. By avoiding plagiarism and embracing the slow, often difficult process of authentic creation, writers can find not only success but also the fulfilment that comes from realizing and sharing their unique voice with the world.