On Instagram, a "shadow ban" is when a user's content is effectively hidden or suppressed by the platform's algorithms, making it less discoverable to others. Shadow banning can happen for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to violations of Instagram's community standards or terms of service. Common triggers for a ban in the shadows include:
• A shadow ban may be triggered by the use of an excessive number of hashtags, or by the use of hashtags that are deemed irrelevant or spammy. This could be interpreted by Instagram as an attempt to artificially increase exposure.
• Users who take part in "engagement pods," in which they artificially boost each other's engagement metrics (likes, comments), risk being shadow-banned.
• Insta users may find their accounts hidden if they are found to be sharing explicit or harmful content in violation of Instagram's community guidelines.
• The use of automated systems to follow/unfollow, like/dislike, or comment in large numbers may result in a shadow ban.
• Likes, comments, and follows/unfollows performed repeatedly within a short time frame may also be interpreted as spammy behavior and lead to a shadow ban.
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