When posting publicly on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc, users often wonder who can see that they have shared or retweeted a post. Specifically, many users ask if public account holders (like celebrities, brands, media outlets) can see who has shared their posts. The quick answer is that it depends on the platform.
On Facebook
When you share a public post on Facebook, by default the author of that post can see that you shared it. This includes public pages and profiles. When you share a post from a public page or profile, it will show up under the “shared by” section on the original post. So if you share a post from a celebrity’s public Facebook page, they will be able to see that you shared it.
You can change this default setting in your Facebook privacy settings. Under “How people bring your info to apps they use,” you can edit the setting “Do you want apps, websites and games to be able to tell Facebook to show your shares from their app or site off-Facebook?” By disabling this setting, your shares will be private and page owners will not be able to see who shared their post.
Exceptions
There are a couple exceptions where public pages/profiles may not be able to see your shares, even with the default privacy settings:
- If you share a post directly from your News Feed rather than going to the original post.
- If you share a post that was originally shared by a friend. In this case, the public page may not be able to see the share if your friend’s sharing setting is set to private.
On Instagram
Instagram does not have a native “share” feature like Facebook. But you can effectively share posts by screenshotting them or using third-party reposting apps.
If you screenshot a public Instagram post and repost it, the author will not receive a notification or be able to see that you did this. However, they may still find out about it if one of your followers sees it and decides to tag them or let them know.
Reposting apps like Repost for Instagram notify the original author by default when their post is shared. So public account holders will know if you reposted their content through one of these apps.
Instagram Reels
Instagram Reels has an official “Share” feature. If you share a public Reel, the author will be able to see that you shared it in the same way that Facebook shares work.
On Twitter
When you retweet a post on Twitter, the original author is always notified and can see who retweeted it. This includes posts from public accounts – celebrities, brands, media, etc. will all be able to see your retweets of their tweets.
You can privately save a tweet by clicking the “Share” icon and then “Add Tweet to Bookmarks.” This will not notify the original tweeter or show up in any public way.
On LinkedIn
Similar to Facebook and Twitter, when you share a public post on LinkedIn, the original poster receives a notification and can see that you shared it. This includes posts from company pages, influencers, or other public profiles.
To privately save a post on LinkedIn, you can use the “Save” feature instead of “Share.” This will add it to your saved items but will not create a public share.
On Pinterest
Pinning a public post acts similarly to sharing on other platforms – the original pinner will be notified and able to see your repin. Pinterest lets you privately save pins by clicking the drop down arrow on the pin and choosing “Save for later.” This will keep it in your private saves rather than repinning it publicly.
On YouTube
YouTube allows sharing via embedding videos or directly sharing links. When you share a YouTube video from a public channel via link or embed, the channel owner will be able to see view counts and traffic sources, so they will know their content has been shared somewhere.
YouTube also has a built-in save button that allows you to privately save videos to watch later. This does not share or repost them in any public way.
On Reddit
Reddit has two main ways to share content – posting a link directly, or crossposting from one subreddit to another.
When you post a link to a public site like an article or video, there is no notification to the original content creator. However, they may be able to see traffic coming from Reddit based on referral data.
Crossposting is different – it reposts content directly from one subreddit to another with attribution. The original Redditor who posted it will be notified of the crosspost and be able to see where it was shared.
On TikTok
You can reshare videos on TikTok using the Share button. When you share a public video this way, the original user will not receive a notification, but they will be able to see view counts and traffic sources, so they could potentially identify if a spike came from a particular reshare.
To save a video privately, use the “+” icon and choose “Save video.” The video will be saved to your favorites without resharing it publicly.
On Medium
Medium has built-in sharing options for posts written by public accounts. If you share a public story, the original author will be notified and able to see that you shared it.
Rather than the Share option, you can click the bookmark icon to privately save a story to your reading list. This does not generate a public share.
Conclusion
In summary:
- On platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Medium, public account owners will be notified when you share their content and be able to see who shared it.
- On Instagram and TikTok, there is no direct notification, but public accounts may be able to identify resharing through view counts and traffic sources.
- YouTube, Reddit, and Pinterest do not directly notify original posters, but referrals could allow them to identify reshares.
- Most platforms have private saving options that allow you to bookmark posts without publicly resharing them.
So in general, unless you utilize private saving features, you should assume public account holders will be able to identify when their content has been shared across social platforms. Double check privacy settings if you wish to anonymously share content from public profiles.
| Platform | Original Poster Notified? | Can See Who Shared? |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | Yes | |
| No | No | |
| Yes | Yes | |
| Yes | Yes | |
| No | No | |
| YouTube | No | No |
| No | No | |
| TikTok | No | No |
| Medium | Yes | Yes |
In conclusion, whether public accounts are notified of shares/reshares depends on the platform. On Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Medium they have visibility. On Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Reddit, and Pinterest they may be able to identify traffic spikes but are not directly notified. Checking your privacy settings and using private saving options where available can give you more control over anonymous sharing.