Crypto influencers are increasingly voicing concerns over suspected shadow bans on X, the platform previously known as Twitter.
Prominent figures like PlanB, Raoul Pal, Crypto Rand, and Randi Hipper have noted a significant stagnation in their follower counts, prompting speculation about the platform’s algorithm.
Potential Shadow Ban Hits Crypto Influencers
A shadow ban is a practice where a user’s content or account is partially or entirely blocked from an online community without their knowledge. This means that while users can still post and interact with the platform, their content becomes invisible or less visible to other users.
Social media platforms often use shadow banning to moderate content and reduce the visibility of spam, inappropriate, or rule-breaking content without directly notifying the user. This can prevent backlash or attempts to circumvent the ban. However, it can also lead to confusion and frustration among users who believe they are unfairly targeted.
That is the case for PlanB. The analyst, known for his stock-to-flow Bitcoin model, recently wrote about the issue.
“X/Twitter throttles my account. Week after week, every day I gain roughly 2,000 followers, towards 1.977 million followers … then overnight BOOM -2,000, back below 1.975 million,” PlanB said.
Raoul Pal, a former hedge fund manager and the founder of Real Vision, shared a similar experience. He explained that his account has had 1.045 million for several months now, and it “never moves. This stagnation appears to affect crypto influencers across the board, regardless of their content’s quality or engagement level.
Crypto Rand echoed these sentiments, stating that his account has been stuck with 300,000 followers for one and a half years. This prolonged plateau in follower growth is puzzling, particularly for accounts that once saw rapid increases in followers.
Randi Hipper, another influential voice in the crypto space, also expressed her frustration.
“The followers never move. I used to gain thousands every week, growing like a weed! It’s almost impossible to build here, especially for a crypto account,” Hipper said.
Contrasting these views, Bitcoin Archive offered a different perspective. He suggested that the stagnation might be due to a broader market trend.
“Follower stabilization is mostly because there isn’t much growth at the moment, and our accounts are already quite large. This shows up across YouTube and Twitter over a dozen or so large accounts. Retail interest is low. Most who are interested in bitcoin/crypto are likely already following,” Bitcoin Archive stated.
While these influencers bring significant value and engagement to the crypto community, the apparent follower stagnation raises questions about X’s current policies and algorithms. Whether it is a case of shadow banning or a reflection of the current crypto market sentiment, the concerns of these crypto influencers highlight the challenges of growing and maintaining an online presence.