SKINNY RED ART/ KASIA ZAWADZKA

NAME: Kasia Zawadzka
PLATFORM & USERNAME: Insta – @Skinny_red_art
CENSORSHIP: Account, Content Ban, Shadow Ban

What reason was given for your ban?

It claimed my posts were sexual content or sexual activity.

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

I guess it was because a post had been reported at first, and then the algorithm was flagging my posts and entire account because of that original report. It started also being a problem when I started working with mental health awareness and I was shadowbanned when I started using hashtags such as #mentalhealthawareness or #depression.

Were you able to appeal and what was the response?

Yes, only once has my post been restored to my profile. But once they removed my entire account and I appealed for 3 months and I didn’t receive any response at all from the Instagram team.

What effect has your experience of censorship had on you?

I started to censor my thoughts and ideas before I make any art. It causes me stress, loss of contacts and work. I even stopped believing in my ideas and my art, feeling like I’m not good enough.

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

We, artists, should be able to express ourselves without being silenced and pushed to the corner.