In addition to causing curiosity about what it implies, this new concept has generated a wide debate between those who question its existence and those who, on the contrary, create content informing about its importance.
In the following article, we will explain what the Instagram shadowban is , why this term arises and, finally, whether it is a myth or a reality.
Before defining what an Instagram shadowban is , we first want to explain how this term came about, where it comes from, and what it really means.
Etymologically, the word shadowban is an Anglicism composed of two words: the first is “shadow”, which means “shadow” in English, and the second is “ban”, which, in this same language, means prohibition.
The word “ban” is considered an adaptation of this concept into Spanish and has its origins in web or computer jargon, where it is used to define the expulsion or restriction of a user from a website or service.
In this sense, shadowban means leaving a person in the shadows . It is understood as prohibition and restriction. The first time this term was used on social networks was on Twitter, when this company decided to sanction abusive tweets on its platform by penalizing users who did not comply with the terms of service.
This sanction consisted of a “waiting period” of 12 hours or more before using the social network again. Now then…
What is shadowban on Instagram?
The shadowban, shadowbanning or ban on Instagram is defined as a state of content blocking, in which the exposure of a profile and its publications within the search engine of this social network is limited.
Content blocking is due to bad SEO practices, including:
instagram-bad-practices
The shadowban is also considered a fine that Instagram uses on its users, but without prior notice. This does not happen on Twitter, since this company sends a message to its users notifying them of the block.
Digital marketing experts such as Vilma Nuñez affirm that this negative effect seeks to solve the SPAM, abusive, prohibited and inappropriate behavior of profiles, to guarantee safe and appropriate interactions within the social network.
If you want to know more about Vilma Nuñez, we invite you to read: 5 exponents of digital marketing that you should know
Is the Instagram shadowban a myth or a reality?
As we mentioned at the beginning of the article, there is a wide debate that defends the existence of the Instagram shadowban to justify the lack of engagement on social networks that an account can have.
Others, however, claim that Instagram does not hide posts, but that the lack of interaction is due to poor management of content and followers.
Shadowbanning is a reality if we refer to its original conception, as Instagram is becoming increasingly strict with the content that is spread in its community . Blocking and restricting offensive and non-transparent content is considered necessary practices, as this guarantees users a better experience.
However, it is a myth that Instagram hides posts : a user has the right and taiwan contact number freedom to see posts from all profiles they follow, unless they have been voluntarily blocked by one of them.
We have noticed that some digital marketing agencies tell their clients that the lack of interaction on their Instagram profiles is due to the social network having their “account banned.”
This is typical of those profiles that have more than 20k followers and their posts have less than 50 likes. How can this be explained?
First of all, the content that is published is not that attractive to users, and therefore their followers are not interested in it.
Secondly, follower segmentation may not be appropriate and it may be necessary to block followers who are bots, fake accounts, inactive accounts, or accounts that simply are not part of the target audience.
Regarding the second point, we recommend that you constantly analyze the statistics that Instagram provides you to see how your followers are geographically distributed.
For example: if you have a local shoe store that is located in Colombia and 90% of your followers live in the United States, of course even if you have 30k followers, very few will like and comment on your posts because:
They do not understand Spanish fluently (since it is not their native language).
They live in another country so it is very difficult for them to come to your store to buy and be interested in it.
They probably came to your account and followed you because you used your hashtags more and they were not consistent with your business.
How does the Instagram algorithm work?
Remember that before June 2016, when Instagram used its new algorithm system, its users' posts appeared in the news feed based on the date of publication, meaning that the latest posts published were the first to appear on the main screen, meaning there was chronological consistency.
Today, the posts that appear in your news feed are determined by your tastes and preferences. This means that each user sees posts from the profiles they follow in their own unique order.
For example: even if you and your friend follow the same profiles, each of you will see their posts in a different way because this will depend on how you interact with the posts of the profiles you follow.
You may be interested in reading: Steps to verify an account on Instagram
Instagram uses machine learning algorithms to group posts based on your behavior on the platform and thus decide which posts to show you and which not, but it does NOT block them if they stop posting frequently or if they do not interact enough.
Techcrunch wrote an article explaining how the new algorithm works. After giving a long list of myths about this social network, the editorial team ends by stating that shadowbanning does not exist as many people think: an “evil” Instagram block to punish accounts with little interaction.
In conclusion, the Instagram shadowban is real if it is considered as a penalty from Instagram towards those users who use the platform incorrectly, but it is a myth to assume that the lack of interaction is due to this action.