Instagram now tells you when you’re “shadowbanned”

When users started complaining about their content being shadowbanned, Instagram denied that the concept even existed. However, the app now admits that some accounts may be shadowbanned. In fact, it even tells you when it happens and what you can do to have your content visible again.

“We know that, for many creators, having Instagram recommend your content is a great way to reach new fans and grow your audience,” Instagram writes in a statement. “That’s why it’s important to us that creators understand our guidelines and are able to know if something they’ve posted or have in their profile may be impacting their reach to non-followers.”

The update only applies to those of you who run professional accounts. But to be fair, most content creators and small business owners do. It tells you if the content you’re trying to post is eligible to be recommended to non-followers in places like Explore, Reels, and Feed Recommendations, If it’s not, Instagram warns you that you’ll be shadowbanned. Not exactly in those words but that’s implied.

If you get a notification that your content is not eligible for recommendations, Instagram tells you what’s wrong. It shows the components of your profile that may go against the Recommendations Guidelines and any content that has been removed for violating our Community Guidelines.

But it’s a good thing that you still have the chance to fix the problem. You can either delete your post or edit it to remove the problematic bits, and try posting again. If you don’t think you did anything wrong, you can also request for Instagram’s review team to take another look at your post. Instagram adds that these reviews will help them improve the detection technology – so I say, don’t be afraid to appeal the decision if you think your post is safe and good to go.

“With these updates, we want to help you understand issues with your account and better explain how our systems and rules work,” Instagram writes. As a part of these efforts, the platform started revealing a bit about how its algorithm works last year. It’s still not nearly enough for a regular Joe to understand its complexities, but it’s a tiny step in the right direction – toward transparency. At least they no longer claim that “shadowbanning is not a thing.”

[via Engadget]