Theresa Lim

NAME: Theresa Lim
CENSORSHIP: Account ban

What reason was given for your ban?

Violation of their community guidelines

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

Very shortly after finding out a follower (I also know this person in reality) had been going around tarnishing my reputation to mutual friends, my IG was disabled for 3 weeks. I could not log in and it was like my entire IG account had just disappeared. I suspected she had reported my account which resulted in my account being temporarily disabled.

Were you able to appeal and what was the response?

Yes I did and the response I got was that my account was “in violation of Instagram’s community guidelines” without giving any specifics on what exactly the content of my personal IG account was deemed as that, and no mention of who reported me etc.

What effect has your experience of censorship had on you?

I was really frustrated that my right to use social media and post my own content (which was not offensive at all) was taken away without an explanation. I felt I was being punished and given a sentence without knowing why, and I am left trying to figure out what I did wrong and being suspicious of the people who follow me on social media – which caused me quite a fair amount of stress and anxiety. These days, I am so paranoid about what I post (even on IG Stories) – who is watching? Will my account be reported and I’ll get shadow banned or my account disabled because I support certain things like LGBTQ+ people or have an opinion that might be different from the general public? It’s made me so anxious and self-conscious about how I will be perceived when in reality, this is my social media account and if there are people who aren’t vibing with me, they can always unfollow. But it is so hard to practice this in my daily life.

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

Not everyone is going to like you or agree with you on social media, therefore, nothing should be taken personally because if you cannot deal with having your right to post whatever you wish to post taken away, then social media is not for you.