Ask HN: Will mass deletion of Instagram accounts change user behavior? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Will mass deletion of Instagram accounts change user behavior?

2 pointstaleodor2 comments

My close friend's personal Instagram account was deleted today with no warning. It got suspended first, then after opting to review and appeal - there was an immediate message saying that the account is now deleted (obvious glitch, but with no recourse).

After quick round of googling, looks like this is affecting lots of people.

Instagram has no support and there is little hope the account will be restored (maybe few of those affected will be recovered - but likely only a few). Also (from a separate incident) looks like Instagram has no email verification whatsoever and possibly other security problems that contributed to the issue.

Now, what I'm wondering, is if this mass suspension / deletion event would have any consequences? I.e., may it be that trigger that will force more people to take digital dictatorship prospective more seriously?

I joined Instagram in June to promote a small business I am preparing to launch. Two weeks ago I hit 140 followers. Obviously, this is peanuts to Meta who seems to prioritize only the biggest, most influential companies and personalities on their platform. I tried to log in, and saw my account was suspended with no ability to appeal or take action. Then 24 hours later, the message turned into "permanently removed" or something to that affect. This time, the help page I was directed to was clear in claiming that the account could not be recovered nor could any appeal be made. Ironically, I got an email from Instagram yesterday celebrating the new followers that I had gained in October. Clearly, the account isn't fully removed. Still, I have yet to find any way to reach out to support (other than the help pages that say the account is suspended/disabled/removed). I am not aware of anything I can do, and I am sure there are thousands of people in the same position.

It's an infuriating experience to say the least. I've lost the account name that matches my business name, followers who were genuinely interested in my product, and all the time and effort that went into putting posts together.

The whole experience has really made me rethink marketing though the platform and how to advertise a small business in today's digital world.

Most people I know who had this happen, it automatically got fixed quite quick, and IG has confirmed they are working on to fix it.

As for if this will cause them to leave - they didn’t leave after incident when it was down for half day, why and Where would they leave now?

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