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My cousin Debunked the whole TikTok 'Shadowban' myth for me
My cousin works as a data analyst at a social media company, and last week over coffee she explained how their algorithm actually works. She said most people claiming a 'shadowban' just aren't making content the algorithm wants to push right now. It hit different because she showed me the actual metrics from her dashboard where videos that get low engagement in the first hour just get buried naturally. Has anyone else gotten a straight answer from someone inside the industry?
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jessem592d ago
Got a buddy who runs a small gaming channel on the side, puts in solid work editing and everything. He was convinced for months that YouTube shadowbanned him because his views tanked after he switched up his content a bit. Finally he asked a friend who works in analytics at a different platform to look at his numbers. She straight up told him his new videos had way worse retention rates in the first 30 minutes compared to his old stuff, so the algorithm just stopped pushing them. He was mad at first but then he looked at the data and saw she was right. Now he tweaks his thumbnails and hooks based on what actually keeps people watching, and his views came back. Honestly it's just easier to blame some hidden ban than admit your content might need work.
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kellygrant2d ago
Wait, so did his buddy actually realize his new content was just worse or did he double down on the "shadowban" thing first? @mileslane that LinkedIn breakdown sounds interesting, I've seen a couple creators go through the exact same cycle where they blame the algorithm instead of looking at their own numbers. It's wild how many people will claim a shadowban without even checking their analytics first, like YouTube literally gives you the data for free. Your friend's story is a solid example of how easy it is to dodge the real problem when it's easier to point fingers at some invisible enemy.
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