The YouTuber himself, whose name is Felix Kjellberg, warned his fans that his latest video was not appearing in people’s subscription boxes. When viewers attempted to find his massive, 150 million-subscriber channel, it did not appear. Perhaps one of the most popular allegations of shadowbanning came from fans of YouTube’s second-biggest creator, PewDiePie, in October 2020. Because of this, there aren’t straightforward guidelines about how and why this happens - or how to make it stop. Sometimes social media sites limit a user’s reach because of a guideline violation, but users are notified of that change. The moderation tactic has been used since the “early days of the web,” according to Vice News. “Shadowban” is an unofficial term used to describe how social media sites allegedly block a user’s content in such a way that the user does not know it is happening. What does shadowban mean and what does it look like? The word “shadow” implies dark and shifty actions, and the word “ban” implies something has been done to you against your will. Probably the former, right? “Shadowban” is an elusive term with a menacing ring to it. Which sounds better to you: “ I’ve been shadowbanned” or “People just aren’t as interested in my content as they used to be”?
