A Brief Update on my Instagram Shadowban-Induced Hiatus

Hi all,

I felt the need to give a brief update on my Instagram hiatus, as several of you have reached out to me in the last week. (Thank you for that, it truly means a lot.)

So, what happened?

More than a week ago, I discovered that I was shadowbanned. To put it simply: I can still use the platform and post content to my IG, but unless people visit my page it won’t reach anybody. Even people who follow me won’t see my latest posts appear in their feeds. Clicking on any hashtags I’ve used will reveal that my tagged content has been excluded.

Why did this happen?

:big shrug:

I may have posted something that Instagram deemed unsavory. Maybe it was the content of the photo itself, or the caption/hashtags I used. It’s unclear at this time.

This handy Shadowban Tester from Triberr revealed that I had a post that was totally shadowbanned (I’ve since removed it from my feed). It was a photo of three skincare products that I used for the grit exfoliation method. Nothing radical or obscene, as far as I could tell.

I’ve done some reading up on shadowbanning and found that using the same combination of hashtags can lead to IG thinking you’re a bot. I tend to vary the order of my tags, but otherwise stick to a lot of what I consider my standards. Maybe that was still enough to upset the IG Algorithm Gods.

Have you reached out to anyone?

Oh yes. I’ve filled out forms, sent an email to a (now-defunct) support address, and even messaged Instagram on Facebook.

Nothing.

I wonder how people who have much bigger problems with their account, such as a hacked account, stolen content, or threats/abuse, are able to get their problems solved. Instagram support is basically non-existent.

I understand that it’s a massive platform with millions, if not billions, of users. But what is someone to do when their issue can’t be solved with a simple glance of an FAQ?

How long will this last?

I’ve read that a shadowban can last up to two weeks. It’s been almost a week since I discovered this issue, but I’m not exactly sure when the ban went into effect.

So what’ll you be doing in the meantime?

I’m staying logged off my IG account, as I’ve read that’s one way to potentially expedite the end of the ban. It sucks, because I feel like I’m missing out on what my friends are doing, and I miss being able to share my stories with everyone.

I am checking IG every day to see if I’m still being excluded from hashtags. (As of today, I am. Still. Ugh.) Until I find that my content is no longer being shadowbanned, I’ll be off the IG radar.

In some way, it’s been nice to kind of detox from the platform, but I wish it was a decision I could have made under better circumstances.

On a positive note, it gives me even more of an incentive to build up this blog. After months of putting off, I’ve finally found my footing. I’ve missed blogging. I want to use this space to expand upon my thoughts on Instagram, especially when it comes to reviews and rants. I can only fit so much in an IG caption space. (And I am NOT one for “Continued in comments.”)

My hope is for this blog and my Instagram account to work in tandem. Until I get this shadowban mess sorted out, it’s truly this baby blog’s time to shine.

Once again, thanks for your continued support of Queen of Wrong Style, no matter the platform. It truly means a lot.