Have you noticed a slump in your engagement on social media? Do you feel like nobody is seeing your posts? Well, we hate to break it to you, but you may be shadowbanned.  

What does this mean? 

Essentially, being shadowbanned is "when your posts or activity don't show up on a site, but you haven't received an official ban or notification," according to Neil Patel

Platforms like Instagram, Twitter or TikTok do not openly admit to the practice of shadowbanning, but it could happen if you
  • violate community guidelines — these guidelines are different on all social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter and TikTok 
  • post explicit comments — be it violent, spreading misinformation or sexually inappropriate
  • engage in spam activity — an example of this could be overusing hashtags in your posts or following / unfollowing too many accounts at once, or
  • make use of fake engagement tactics — this includes buying likes, comments and followers.
With this in mind, users can avoid being shadowbanned by sticking to community guidelines. You can do this by avoiding banned hashtags, not buying engagement for your posts and avoiding 'spammy' behaviour. 

Rather ensure that you keep it real. Be yourself, use hashtags sparingly and don't go on a crazy liking spree!

Have you ever been shadowbanned? Be sure to let us know in the comments section below.

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Want to learn more about the intricacies of social media? Then be sure to read The best times to post on social media revealed — the 2022 update.
*Image courtesy of Unsplash