“Meme Admins Take to the Streets: Protesting Instagram’s Content Moderation Policies”

Meme admins take to the streets to protest IG’s content moderation policies

They called it “the Instarrection.” On Saturday, July 23, creators of meme pages took to the streets to demand more transparent community guidelines outside Instagram’s New York headquarters.

As expected, the directors and their followers came prepared with dozens of meme-inspired cardboard signs. One said, “How about we kiss in hell forbidden by IG. And another offered his support with a simple message: “In solidarity with my fallen oomfs (one of my followers). The protest culminated when several administrators of the meme page handcuffed themselves to the building.

The protest was led by eclectic meme accounts @hornymermaid(opens in a new tab)@neoliberalhell(opens in a new tab)et @namaste.at.home.dad(opens in a new tab) in response to Instagram’s content moderation policies. According to these creators, they are distorted without clear reasoning. “Accounts get deleted all the time, and you have to track everyone’s backups. Then half of my feed is people complaining about Instagram, so we wanted to do something about that,” said Anjelica, one of the protest’s co-organizers and the creator behind @hornymermaid , told Indigo Buzz. Anjelica had 10 accounts deleted by Instagram.

I have been harassed and when I reposted messages I received I was reported for violation. It is a very flawed system.

“You get a violation and then it becomes a downward spiral of stricter moderation of what they perceive as hate speech or violence when it’s really just words and images picked up by algorithms,” Ana, the protest co-organizer who runs @neoliberalhell, told Indigo Buzz. “I had my whole account deleted for referencing Britney Spears’ ‘Work Bitch’ because I used the word bitch. Meanwhile, there are a lot of men harassing women online. I was harassed, and when I reposted messages, I got ‘I received a violation report. It is a very flawed system.

In an infographic posted to the Instagram account used to publicize the protest, @antizuckprotest(opens in a new tab), the organizers presented their list of demands. This included things like “We demand that artists, creators and activists who monetize through this app are protected and have real support systems with real moderators to help users. Many creators depend on Instagram for their livelihood, making the lack of security caused by shadowbanning and deplatforming a workers’ rights issue.

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While the protest was planned by meme creators, sex workers, activists and artists from the platform were also present.

Speakers at the protest addressed the hypocrisy of Instagram misrepresenting users with OnlyFans links in their bios while allowing PornHub and OnlyFans to have verified pages, as well as censorship issues. “This is not just a problem faced by a few niche online personalities. We want the platform to be a better and safer place for everyone with more transparent guidelines. The guidelines are opaque and they can ban you from just about anything,” Ryan Pomarico, who manages the @antizuckprotest and @antiart accounts, told Indigo Buzz.

The organizers highlighted the le journal Wall Street(opens in a new tab)(opens in a new tab) investigation(opens in a new tab) which found that high-profile Instagram accounts are exempt from normal content moderation guidelines and its enforcement as evidence that the system needs to change. They also expressed concern about censorship of the app, citing the recent example of Instagram blocking information about abortion.

“Yeah, the people running it run meme accounts, but we’re also indie artists and creatives who really care about the platform as a whole. We want to maintain the integrity of allowing everyone to speak freely, and have algorithmic justice,” Anjelica said. “Things have to change and the censorship and silencing of artists, creators and marginalized voices is a very important thing (that needs to be addressed). »

The protest is just the start of their efforts to change Instagram. Ana and Anjelica have been in contact with Ricky Sans, the meme manager at Instagram, and they hope to start a dialogue and a working relationship with him and other high-levels in the company.

They also plan to continue the momentum of the protest by planning other follow-up events and community organizing efforts.

Yes, the people running it run meme accounts, but we’re also indie artists and creatives who really care about the platform as a whole.

Ahead of the protest, Instagram executive Adam Mosseri responded to a tweet from Washington Post reporter Taylor Lorenz, saying “We love memes, so I’m curious to hear more.”

The tweet may have been deleted
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In response to concerns raised by Instagram creators, a Meta spokesperson told Indigo Buzz, “Meme creators have become a central part of emerging culture and are vital to the Instagram community. We appreciate the concerns raised and have entered into a direct dialogue with the organisers. to respond to their complaints. Our goal is to make it easier to understand our policies, to have fair and transparent ways to know what’s going on with their accounts, and to allow them to appeal when they think something is wrong. We are grateful for their feedback as we continue to explore ways to better support creators of all types on Instagram. »

Meanwhile, wider criticism of Instagram’s algorithmic updates is mounting as the platform becomes increasingly reliant on ads and reels. Even Kylie Jenner, who has over 360 million followers on IG, recently reposted an infographic on her Instagram Story(opens in a new tab) with a simple plea: “MAKE INSTAGRAM INSTAGRAM AGAIN”.