TikTok is one of the most used social media platforms to date. The virality of the content that gets featured on this app allows for creators to became insanely popular and lead to overnight success. However, it has come to light that TikTok has noticeably been targeting diverse creators in order to dim their popularity. The shadow banning issue on TikTok creates an uneven playing field for creators attempting to become successful on the platform.
What is Shadow Banning?
What exactly is “shadow banning” on TikTok and why does it matter? Shadow banning refers to an unofficial ban on the platform where your visibility and reach towards audiences has been widely reduced. The shadow part plays in because creators are usually not aware that they have been unofficially banned. Typically, creators begin to notice a decrease in views, likes, and overall engagement on the app. The TikTok algorithm makes it so virtually nobody is able to see your content, especially by not showing it on people’s “for you” page which is where people are seeing the content. Successful creators find themselves lacking engagement from their audience mostly because said viewers are not actually seeing their content.
Who is Being Shadow Banned?
The demographic bearing the brunt of this shadow ban feature are predominantly Black creators. Black creators are a major reason for popular trends that skyrocket to virality. Certain dances, popular music, skits, etc. are made popular by Black TikTok creators adding their own twists to it and making it go viral. However, many of these people–along with their viral content–make videos regarding social justice issues in the Black community. Many touch on the Black Lives Matter movement, racism, discrimination, and even shadow bans of other fellow creators. However, such content tends to get suppressed by TikTok which begs the question: is the algorithm is racially biased? One TikTok creator showed the significant downturn in engagement since posting more regarding social justice issues. The percentage of traffic coming from the For You page went from 81% down to 40%. The For You page is a major source of traffic and the dominant way creators have their content viewed. Additionally, their total views between those two posts went from 75,000 views to only 1,418. Engagement saw a significant dip after creators posted videos regarding issues facing Black people or hashtags such as #BLM and #black.
“I was out protesting and sharing [videos] and when I went back to my normal content, I saw that my videos went from getting thousands if not hundreds of thousands of views to barely getting 1,000″ – TikTok creator Kam Kurosaki
How TikTok’s Platform Perpetrates Inequality
As shown time and time again, Black creators must exert additional effort to attain success on a platform that should inherently offer equal opportunities for all, emphasizing the importance of diversity and inclusion. Speaking on relevant social justice issues regarding race should not only be accepted, but applauded in this climate. The fact that an algorithm can be biased speaks volume to how much racial bias is ingrained not only on social media, but technology in general. TikTok needs to create a platform where creators of all backgrounds can feel safe posting whatever content they want.
