Shadowban, Real or Overused Term?

Hey all,
Do you think shadowbans are real on most platforms, or just a term people use when reach drops?

An account is only considered shadowbanned when it has absolutely no interaction, with metrics at or near zero for many days, even though it was previously active
If reach only decreases, it is not considered shadowbanned

They are real, some platforms regularly reported are instagram and X for example.

i do believe they are real, probably have a different name . Loads of influencers get shadowbannned constantly

Instagram (though not officially acknowledged) and Reddit implement shadowbanning. You can test whether your account is affected by using a non-follower account. However, some platforms may also prevent your content from appearing in search results due to low account activity (e.g., LinkedIn).

In my opinion, shadowban is a real. Of course platforms won’t publicly announce them, that’s why it’s called a “shadow” ban. You often see this when a video suddenly drops in views or a post loses reach, especially when the content is something you’ve never posted before. It can also happen if, before posting, your account logs in across multiple devices or IP within a short time, or if there are any sudden changes in general. That’s usually when the system starts questioning the channel or account and temporarily reduces distribution, until it decides the account is behaving normally again.