Shadowbanning: What it means and how to avoid it.

Am I Shadow Banned?

Have you noticed that, randomly, your content isn’t being seen by your audience on social media platforms? There are a lot of potential reasons for this, one of which is a shadowban. Shadowbanning is one of the wors

t things that can happen to content creators. After pouring time, effort and sometimes your heart into a content piece, you post it to your social media channels only for it to gain zero traction. But what exactly does it mean?

What is a Shadow Ban?

Shadowbanning is when a company’s social media posts no longer get the engagement and views they were once receiving. Though Instagram claims that shadow banning is not a real part of their algorithm, content creators have noticed their accounts have decreasing metrics and popularity out of the blue.

It might seem shadow banning is a shot at content creators, but it actually was meant to slow down the spread of spam. That’s because there’s no actual notice to you. Your posts just stop circulating. This is great for fighting spammers because they’re not aware that they’ve been shadowbanned, but sometimes, legitimate content creators get caught in the crosshairs.

How did I get Shadow Banned?

The most common reason you are being shadow banned on social media platforms is using a hashtag that has been banned. Yes, that’s all it takes. One hashtag. And all your hard work building up your audience and engagement is kaput.

These hashtags can be anything that these platforms deem as inappropriate or even spammy. These aren’t always obvious, and even #Kansas is on the list. Not sure if your regularly used hashtags are banned on Instagram? Below I will share banned hashtags of 2021!

How long does the Shadow Ban last?

Well, no one really knows. It seems the ban lasts anywhere from 2 days to about 3 weeks depending on whether you’re considered a repeat offender. While Instagram is known to be the biggest social media platform that shadowbans content creators (despite their protestations), TikTok has also recently started doing so, as well.

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Here Is The Complete List Of Banned Instagram Hashtags In 2021:

(This list was updated on July 1st, 2021)

A

#alone

#assday

B

#beautyblogger

#bikinibody

#boho

#brain

C

#costumes

#curvygirls

D

#date

#dating

#desk

#dm

E

#elevator

G

#graffitiigers

H

#hardworkpaysoff

#happythanksgiving

#humpday

I

#iphonegraphy

#italiano

K

#kansas

#killingit

#kissing

M

#master

#models

#mustfollow

N

#nasty

#newyearsday

P

#petite

#pornfood

#pushups

S

#saltwater

#shit

#shower

#single

#singlelife

#skype

#snap

#snapchat

#snowstorm

#sopretty

#stranger

#streetphoto

#sunbathing

#swole

T

#tag4like

#tanlines

#teens

#thought

U

#undies

V

#valentinesday

W

#workflow