The Truth Behind Instagram Shadowbanning

Have you ever experienced an abrupt decline in your engagement? Did your follower count significantly went lower, and are your posts not showing up on the hashtag search result?

If yes, then you probably have thought that you were shadowbanned! Shadowbanning is the act of blocking or muting a user on social media without informing them.

Shadowbanning is among the controversies that surround the Instagram world.

But what is the truth behind shadowbanning? Does it truly exist? 

What Is Instagram Shadowban

Or is it just a term coined by frustrated users who saw a significant drop in their stats? We will try to get to the bottom of this issue today and find ways to avoid it.

What Is The Truth Behind Instagram Shadowbanning??

Truth Behind Instagram Shadowbanning

In recent years, Instagram users have used “shadowbanning” to indicate that Instagram hides their content.

“Shadowban” is not an official Instagram term. Although, it gained prominence from people who accuse the platform of censoring them by making their posts undiscoverable through hashtags and the Explore page, or sometimes taking them down completely.

According to these allegations, if you get “shadowbanned,” you will see a significant decrease in your engagements compared to your previous post.

Is “shadowbanning” real, and is there weight to these accusations?

In 2018, the Instagram team denied the existence of shadowbanning. The platform insisted that they do not hide people’s content for using too many hashtags.

However, in 2019, Instagram acknowledged that posts categorized as “inappropriate for our international community” would not be featured on the Instagram Explore Page — even if the post does not go against Instagram’s Community Guidelines. 

In 2021, Instagram admitted that they have not always done enough to explain why they take down content. The platform promises to be more transparent. It is working on in-app notifications to tell users why their posts get removed.

So what is our main takeaway? Instagram might not acknowledge the word “Shadowban,” but its concept exists.  

In addition to Community Guidelines, the platform has Recommendations Guidelines, which they will use when suggesting content on the explore page. The  Recommendations Guidelines avoid recommending “potentially upsetting or sensitive posts,” in certain places. 

They do this to protect the community from potentially harmful or disturbing posts.

So if your content falls under that category, then yes, you might have been “shadowbanned” in the very sense of it.

Instagram Censrship Guidelines

How Can You Avoid Getting Shadowbanned?

While Instagram continues to leave us in the dark about the truth of shadowbanning, the following suggestions can help you decrease the chances of getting shadowbanned.

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Avoid posting content that goes against the Recommendations Guidelines.

These contents include violence, self-harm, and suicide. They also do not recommend contents that are sexually explicit or promotes the use of certain regulated products like tobacco.

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Stop using banned hashtags.

Instagram bans some hashtags as part of its plan to fight spam on the platform.
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Avoid Over-popular hashtags.

In June 2020, Instagram released a statement after receiving multiple reports that people are getting incorrect “action blocked” messages for using the #blacklivesmatter. Instagram explained that they use a technology that “detects rapidly increasing activity on Instagram to help combat spam.”
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Stay Away From Spammy Activities.

As Instagram mentioned, they are trying to avoid combat spam on the platform. Several users have reported that they have been shadowbanned after using too many hashtags. The same thing happens when they comment on too many posts and following too many people in an hour.

Will Buying Likes And Followers Get Me Shadowbanned?

Instagram prohibits “repeatedly” buying likes and such to build followings.

The reason why Instagram vehemently prohibits its users from buying likes and followers is simple– money!

In 2020, analyst Youssef Squali reported that Instagram accounted for $23 billion (27%) of Facebook’s ad sales.

Instagram knows the value of having plenty of followers on its platform. If you want to build your following, they want you to spend money on their ads.

However, the cost of Instagram ads are much more expensive than buying likes and followers from third-party providers. The ads can help you reach a potential audience, but they won’t give you the exact numbers of followers and likes that you need.

So if you are considering buying likes and followers, you just have to avoid getting them from providers that deliver low-quality profiles and bots. 

Some providers can deliver real and active profiles from actual people. They can give you the option to get drip-feed engagements, meaning your orders will be delivered to you at a safe pace to avoid getting tagged as spam.

Check out our guide on how to buy Instagram followers, likes, and comments Safely to find out more.

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