Okay, what the hell does it mean to be “shadowbanned” and why does it piss off content creators? 

Unfortunately, getting shadowbanned is not as cool as it sounds. We would love to tell you it’s a fun literary term that means banishing a spirit to the shadow realm. Can you tell we love fantasy novels?

Actually, shadowbanning is what happens when a social media platform – like Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter – use their algorithms to decide who’s content they want to hide from your feed. So you never even knew they were there.

*Cue the whooshing of cold wind past your face* A ghost! 👻

Getting shadowbanned is a scary thing. Content creators and small business owners alike can be affected by this visibility restriction. And it can be extremely detrimental to their brand awareness. 

Some brands have one post here and there that get shadowbanned. Others have many posts in a row disappear into thin air without them even knowing. Like all their hard work was for nothing. 

How Does Shadowbanning Affect You?

Your favorite brand being shadowbanned affects you in different ways like:

• Making you miss out on discounts and deals – how dare they 🙄
• Hiding art and creations which inspire you
• Silencing companies and individuals that share important points of view

Smart consumers like you follow companies and accounts on social media with intention. Because you want to keep up to date on news and entertaining things they post. But if they’re being shadowbanned, it not only affects their businesses and overall success. It affects your own social media experience. 

You don’t get to view the posts you want to view. You see what they want you to see. And you deserve better than that.

These social media platforms also shadowban accounts that get reported by individuals. Having the ability to report accounts and posts is vital to a safe social media experience. But when a small swimsuit company gets reported for posting a picture of an adult woman in a bikini to advertise their brand, they can get shadowbanned for it. 

Small businesses should not be punished for the decisions of a few individuals. Especially with all the bots on Instagram lately who have been multiplying by the day. It seems like Instagram and TikTok are too busy shadowbanning small content creators and businesses to keep these annoying bots under control.

Having a say in the content you consume on social media plays a big part in your mental health. When social media platforms take over those decisions for you, it’s not so they can curate a better experience for you. It’s about manipulation. 

So, how can you take back some of that control? 

Here Are Four Simple Ways to Take Back Control:

• Turn on post notifications 📳

Have a favorite brand or creator and don’t want to miss anything they post? Turn on their post notifications and never miss a post. That way, as soon as they post something, you’ll be able to…

• Engage with any and every one of their posts 🤳

Engagement is crucial for a small business on social media. It’s up to you, the lovely followers and subscribers of their content, to help boost their brand awareness by engaging in any post you can. This means liking, commenting, saving, favoriting, and sharing it on your stories and through direct messages. One small act of engagement does wonders for your favorite account. And it never goes unnoticed.

 

• Tell your besties about the company 👭

One of the best ways to show support to a small business is good ol’ word of mouth. If you see a product from your favorite small business account, show it to someone you know would love it! Which should honestly be its own love language if you ask us. A shadowbanned account literally stops the company in its tracks and makes it hard to spread brand awareness. You can be the spokesperson for your favorite small business and recommend some products you know your besties would love. 

• If you suspect a shadowban, continue to show some love ❣️

If an account gets shadowbanned, the creator or business might stop posting for a few 

days while they sort it out. If you suspect a beloved brand has been shadowbanned, 

continue to engage with their already posted content. It continues to help them until they 

are able to come back and post again. Being shadowbanned is very frustrating, 

especially if the company or creator didn’t actually do anything against any guidelines. 

So knowing you are still interacting with them through it means everything. 

From the Business’s Perspective

Being shadowbanned is especially upsetting for a small business with a smaller window of time for their products to be showcased. Like our swimsuit business, Portside Swim Club. With spring break and the summer months being our peak season, our content goes through a bit of a halt when it gets colder outside. Less people searching for bikini styling inspo and new favorite pieces.

These slow seasons can often feel like a mini shadowban in itself. So it means so much for people like you to continue supporting businesses like ours through those tougher times. And don’t forget, we also have super soft sweatshirts to keep you warm until the sun starts to come out more!

Where Do We Go From Here?

We are privileged to live in an age where we can witness a business being built from the ground up through Instagram. But with social media algorithms being the mysterious and unruly beasts they are, sometimes it feels like small businesses have to jump through hoops to get to you. You deserve to be a part of the journey of a small business, and those small businesses are lucky to have your support. 

We imagine a future where likes and comments are not the measure of success for any business. We want to be able to spread informative, loving, and honest content to you and not have our accounts restricted for it. 

Our founder, Sarah, recently posted a reel on Instagram talking about this topic. She talks about how, according to Facebook guidelines, the path to success is only paved through likes, comments, and follows. And you know what, we disagree. 

Check out her reel on the Portside Instagram page here!