Screenshotting NFTs is a running joke and skeptic argument that spread across Twitter, iFunny and TikTok in 2020-2021, mocking the idea of paying for a JPEG when anyone can just hit Print Screen. The bit powered image macros, the viral "You Wouldn't Screenshot An NFT" poster, and a whole genre of anti-NFT reaction content.
Origin
NFT skeptics were already asking the screenshot question in mid-2020. Twitter user @DCCockFoster ran a 23-tweet thread on July 1st, 2020 trying to preemptively answer "if I can just download the image file, why would I buy the NFT?"[3][7]. The thread pulled around 1,300 likes over the next 18 months[3].
The first known meme built around the concept came from Twitter user @cryptonator1337 on September 27th, 2020, who used the Surprised Pikachu template to punchline the screenshot argument[2][3].
- Platform: Twitter (origin), iFunny and TikTok (viral spread)
- Creator: Unknown
- Date: 2020
Overview
Screenshotting NFTs is the skeptic gag that if an NFT is just an image, you can grab it with a screenshot and skip the receipt on the blockchain[1]. The joke sits next to Right Click, Save As as a shorthand for dunking on collectors who paid five, six or seven figures for a JPEG anyone can copy in one keystroke[3].
The format shows up as tweets, image macros, iFunny posts and TikToks where someone triumphantly screencaps a Bored Ape or CryptoPunk. A legal explainer at Market Realist noted the joke pushed the actual question of whether screenshotting an NFT is illegal into mainstream tech coverage, with lawyers landing on "no, it isn't"[1].
How It Spread
Interest picked up in early 2021 as NFT prices exploded. On February 28th, 2021, Redditor Cheese-pickle posted "My number one question about NFT's: the screenshot issue" to r/NFT[3]. Days later, Twitter user @awilkinson asked his followers "when an NFT is just an image, and you can screenshot that image and share it, what is the point of owning it?", pulling 724 likes[3][4].
The format broke out on April 14th, 2021, when journalist Joshua Topolsky tweeted a parody of the mid-2000s Motion Picture Association "You Wouldn't Download A Car" poster, swapped to read "You Wouldn't Screenshot An NFT"[3][6]. The image pulled roughly 8,600 likes and got copied onto Instagram and Facebook within weeks[3]. iFunny picked it up next, with user @Housen posting a widely shared screenshotting NFTs meme on September 11th, 2021 that hit around 9,300 smiles in a month[3].
The bit crossed to TikTok in October 2021. TikToker @ybramall914 posted a clip on October 24th, 2021 of him rapid-firing screenshots of NFT profile pics and calling it "the greatest art heist of all time," racking up about 552,700 plays and 95,600 likes in three days[3][5].
How to Use
The template typically pairs an anti-NFT punchline with a familiar meme format, Surprised Pikachu, Better Call Saul courtroom shots, iPhone screenshot instructions, or the "You Wouldn't" piracy PSA layout[1][3]. A common convention is to frame the screenshot as theft, heist or clever cheat code, then tag or reply-bait an NFT holder. Video versions on TikTok often show someone screenshotting a grid of profile-pic NFTs while narrating a mock crime[3].
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Screenshotting Nfts?
A skeptic joke and meme format arguing that NFTs are pointless because anyone can grab the underlying image with a screenshot[1].
Where did Screenshotting Nfts come from?
The gag traces to NFT skeptic threads on Twitter in mid-2020, with the first known meme posted by @cryptonator1337 on September 27th, 2020 using the Surprised Pikachu format[2][3].
What does Screenshotting Nfts mean?
It's shorthand for "you paid for a JPEG anyone can copy," mocking the value proposition of NFT ownership similar to Right Click, Save As[1][3].
How do you use Screenshotting Nfts?
Post a screenshot of an NFT collection, or edit it into a piracy-PSA layout like Joshua Topolsky's April 2021 "You Wouldn't Screenshot An NFT" parody[3][6].
Is Screenshotting Nfts still popular?
Peak usage was 2021 during the NFT boom, especially after the Topolsky poster and the October 2021 @ybramall914 TikTok that hit 552,700 plays[3][5]. Interest cooled with the NFT market itself.
