Shadow Ban On Social Media And Free Tips To Avoid Being Shadow Ban

Have you recently noticed a huge drop in social media engagement? Suddenly, your social media activity doesn’t seem to show up at all.

It’s like you don’t even exist on the site…weird!

Is it a bug? Even big sites can suffer from issues occasionally. Maybe you should just check back later.

There’s another possibility—you might have been “shadowbanned”

What Is Shadowbanning?

Shadow banning is a controversial practice in the world of social media that has gained a lot of attention in recent years. In simple terms, shadow banning refers to the act of limiting the visibility or reach of a user's content without their knowledge or consent. This is usually done by social media platforms in an attempt to mitigate spam, hate speech, or other forms of disruptive behavior on the platform.

Shadow banning, also called stealth banning, hellbanning, ghost banning, and comment ghosting, is the practice of blocking or partially blocking a user or the user's content from some areas of an online, leading to limiting of views, reach and visibility

However, the problem with shadow banning is that it often lacks transparency and accountability, which can result in unintended consequences. For example, a legitimate user who is speaking out against injustice or sharing important information may find that their content is being suppressed by the platform, which can be damaging to their reputation and credibility.

What Sites Use Shadowbans

Now that you understand what shadowbans are and how they work, let’s talk about what sites use shadow bans.

That’s where it gets sticky—the practice isn’t totally out in the open and most platforms deny they use it.

However, shadowbanning has been reported on sites and apps like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, among others.

Respondents to a survey called Posting Into the Void reported four general types of shadowbans:

A username or hashtag not showing up in search suggestions

A decrease in follower engagement

Blocking certain features (e.g., likes or replies)

A temporary ban that reverts to normal after an unspecified time

Here’s how to tell if you’ve been shadowbanned on popular social media sites:

Twitter Shadowbanning

Does Twitter actually shadowban people? Well, yes and no.

In a blog post, Twitter claimed they don’t “deliberately make people’s content undiscoverable to everyone except the person who posted it”, and they “certainly don’t shadowban based on political viewpoints or ideology.”

However, they do, “rank tweets and search results” to “address bad-faith actors”. Basically, if Twitter thinks you’re a spammer or a troll, its algorithm will penalize your content.

Additionally, the criteria for shadow banning are often vague and subject to interpretation, which can result in inconsistent enforcement. This can create confusion and frustration for users who may feel that their content is being censored for reasons that are unclear.

As a social media expert content creator, it's important to be aware of the potential implications of shadow banning for your own content, as well as for your audience. To avoid being shadow banned, it's important to stay informed about the policies and practices of the platforms you use and to make sure that your content aligns with their guidelines. Additionally, you may want to consider using alternative platforms that prioritize transparency and freedom of speech, and engage with your audience in open and honest conversations about this issue.

7 Ways to Avoid Getting Shadowbanned on Social Media

Every social network has its own terms and rules about what type of content is acceptable and what violations merit a shadowban. To avoid shadowbans, make sure you follow the rules of each platform you use.

However, there are definitely some general trends worth noting. To avoid a shadowban, make sure you:

1. Follow the Terms of Service of each platform.
2. Follow and watch power users in your category (see what and how they share.)
3. Don’t post links or copy-pasted content over and over again.
4. If you’re unsure if the content is appropriate, avoid sharing it.
5. Treat others politely and respectfully.
6. Don’t use banned hashtags.
7. Avoid posting about illegal topics.

In most cases, if you follow the rules and post content that is interesting and useful, you shouldn’t have to worry about a shadowban.

In conclusion, while shadow banning can be a useful tool for social media platforms to address disruptive behavior, it must be applied in a fair, transparent, and consistent manner. As content creators, it's important to be aware of the potential implications of shadow banning and to stay informed about the policies and practices of the platforms you use.