[ser13]

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.