Jamie Noise

NAME: Jamie Noise
PLATFORM & USERNAME: Insta – @jamie_noise
CENSORSHIP: Shadow Ban, Ad ban

What reason was given for your ban?

No reason was given for the shadowban. But my account was banned from advertising on Instagram for “sexual content”.

Why do you think your post(s) was censored?

They say for sexual content but I’ve never had an image removed or reported. And I don’t think my work is sexual in any way.

Were you able to appeal and what was the response?

I’ve tried to contact Instagram multiple times but have never had a response.

What effect has your experience of censorship had on you?

My engagement dropped massively from an average of 6k likes on photos down to an average of 500 likes. Fewer people are seeing my work so I’m getting less paid work than I used to and I can’t even boost engagement with paid advertising as I’m blocked from this. There have been times that it’s affected my mental health. The frustration of all the hard work and time spent using social media to market my work, only for it to be restricted so badly. I’ve had to channel my energy into my work and try not to get hung up on things out of my control.

What’s one thing you want people to know about this topic?

Unfortunately, these huge companies have the power to restrict what you see, what you share and how you engage. As artists, it’s making it impossible to grow and get your work seen. At the moment there seems to be a monopoly on image sharing social media. Until we see an alternative, more open-minded platform giving Instagram a run for its money, we’re going to continue to have our art censored.