My Instagram Account was Suddenly Suspended – and I’m Not the Only One
About an hour and a half ago (just after 10 PM on October 31) , after eating dinner and playing a game or two on my phone, I decided to check Instagram before ending my day. The same as usual.
But when I attempted loading the app, I received a strange loading screen – one I had never seen before. It then took me to a window that said “We suspended your account on October 31, 2022,” that my account “doesn’t follow [Instagram’s] Community Guidelines,” and that I “still have 30 days left to disagree with this decision.”
My heart dropped into my stomach. Suspended? Me? But why? What did I do that violated the guidelines? What is this vague message even about?
Frantically, I began the appeal process, and confirmed the email code sent to me. Instagram then requested for my mobile number to send a code…but no code came for over 20 minutes.
Still freaking out, I went to Twitter to see if anyone else had the same problem, and lo and behold…HUNDREDS do. Across the planet, people have been streaming on to Twitter to ask each other what’s going on, and whether they were the only ones being suspended. Tags like #InstagramDown are all over Twitter, and highlighting how this issue is affecting users across the globe, none of whom know why their accounts have been suspended.
Some speculate that there may be a major “technical meltdown” at the moment; Instagram’s communications Twitter has recently said the following:
Twitter users, however, are not convinced, as the replies show.
Multiple news outlets have started picking up this story, including The Sun and Yahoo! News. Information, however, is scarce, and I am concerned that, in trying to appeal the suspension decision, a lot of us may have given our contact information to the wrong people.
As of now, I’m still being asked by Instagram to verify my number using a code sent to it, with this pop-up appearing on occasion:
I don’t know what’s happening, and if/when/how Instagram or Meta will fix this issue. If there’s anything new that we learn of before I go to bed, I’ll update this article as soon as I can.
So settle in, folks: this is going to be the beginning of a Meta-headache.
UPDATE (November 1, 2022): as of this morning, my account has been restored. Instagram Comms states that they were able to resolve the “bug” that made us “have issues accessing [our] accounts,” but some users are still reporting problems with account suspension. Was it just a bug, or was there something else at play? What does this say about the need for access to human support on social media, given the numerous troubles people have faced trying to resolve this and similar problems? How dependent have we become on a concentrated number of platforms that just one glitch can paralyze small businesses and threaten to wipe out memories? Is a “Sorry!” message with an emoji enough? And what does this hold for the future of the Metaverse, given that this isn’t the first time its initial apps (created or purchased) have faced such issues, and certainly won’t be the last?
