Do you suddenly feel like your profile is almost invisible on Twitter, with a strange and noticeable decrease in your engagement, such as no retweets, traffic, likes, comments, and other social activity ? If so, there’s a good chance you’ll be shadowbanned.
You may have heard terms such as “stealth banishment” or “phantom banishment”; they are essentially identical to a Twitter (X) shadowban, which can be both annoying and frustrating.
Let’s first understand what a shadowban is and learn how to avoid getting into this annoying situation.
What does it mean to be banned on Twitter?
A shadowban can be a nightmare on social media if you don’t understand how to prevent or rectify it.
A shadowban on Twitter (X) indicates that you have been blocked from posting or engaging on Twitter (X) in any form. Your activity is also interrupted without you receiving any official notification about it.
Like all famous social media apps, Twitter (X) also has its rules and policies that you must follow. If your content on Twitter (X) violates their guidelines, you will be banned. In this case, all your messages will disappear from your newsfeed and Twitter (X) users will not be able to chat with you.
In its terms of service, Twitter (X) states: “We may also remove or refuse to distribute any content on the services, limit the distribution or visibility of any content on the service.
Twitter (X) does not condone or allow spam. A Twitter (X) shadowban allows spammers to continue posting. However, it simply limits the visibility of their posts. Since no notification is given to the spammer, they do not instantly start looking for ways to circumvent the shadowban.
What are the types of shadowbans?
There are 3 types of shadowbans on Twitter:
- Thread shadowbans – Twitter (X) restricts the visibility of your comments to other users.
- Search suggestion shadowbans – Twitter (X) makes your profile untraceable to anyone trying to search for you using the Twitter (X) search engine.
- Search ban – your tweets become invisible to all users, even if they use the exact search words to search for your tweet.
Reasons to get shadowbanned on Twitter
Now that you understand what a shadowban is basically. You may find yourself shadowbanned on Twitter (X) for one of the following reasons:
- If your tweets contain abusive, harsh or humiliating language for other users.
- If your account is new (less than a year old), you risk being shadowbanned.
- If you spam repeatedly or tweet rapidly.
- If the number of your followers is suspicious (also, less than 500 followers).
- If you reply to tweets using non-certified automation tools.
- If you tweet excessively to win a contest.
- If you use too many generic hashtags in your tweets to attract attention.
How do you know if you have been banned?
Wondering if you were banned as a preventive measure? Here’s how you can be sure.
It can be frustrating not knowing why your Twitter (X) engagement has stopped. This is the most obvious sign that you are facing a Twitter (X) shadowban.
Once you have seen that all your interactions have stopped, you can perform a shadowban test to check if you have been banned.
The Twitter (X) shadowban test is a test you can take to check if you are affected by a shadowban. It is a simple process. All you have to do is enter your username and click the “verify” button. A few seconds later, you will be notified of the results.
Another way to check if you have been shadowbanned is to log out of your Twitter (X) account and then search for your username on Twitter.
If your account or profile is invisible, it is clear that you have been shadowbanned. You can also search for keywords from your last tweet; if your profile still does not appear, it is a Twitter (X) shadowban!
How long does the Twitter (X) shadowban last, and how do I get out of it?
If you have taken the shadowban test and it is clear that you have been banned, you should not worry because the ban will not last very long. On average, a Twitter (X) shadowban lasts about 2-3 days.
Do not panic ! Just stop tweeting. Excessive tweeting after a shadowban will only make the problem worse, and subsequently, your shadowban duration will increase, and it can even be up to 5 days.
If you stop tweeting, your shadowban will disappear in 48 hours, maximum! So consider this a social media break for 48 hours (if you don’t tweet at all after the ban). It may also be useful to remove your interest by going to the settings.
Essentially, there is no way to end a shadowban instantly, so you have to face the consequences and wait.
The best thing you can do is not to escalate the situation, and when the ban is lifted, be sure to follow Twitter (X) rules and policies when posting your content.
If your shadowban lasts even after you stop tweeting or for more than 72 hours of inactivity, there is cause for concern and you can contact Twitter (X) support staff to resolve the issue. Hopefully they’ll get back to you and your account should be up and running in no time.
In conclusion
A shadowban from Twitter (X) can be disappointing if you feel that you have done nothing wrong to deserve it. You may not always agree with Twitter’s algorithm and shadowbanning practices, but you can definitely avoid it by following the steps we’ve mentioned.
If you’ve been shadowbanned on Twitter, don’t worry. Be aware that it can last anywhere from 48-72 hours, so consider it a little break from social media. Try to assess why you were banned in the first place and avoid these practices in the future. Good tweet!
