Shadowban, hashtags et critiques : Adam Mosseri (Instagram) met les choses au clair dans sa FAQ (24/10/2025)

Adam Mosseri did not dodge the sensitive questions this week in his usual Q&A session.
Instagram’s Head faced direct criticism about how the app is evolving, made a major statement about the actual usefulness (or uselessness) of hashtags — and finally clarified Instagram’s position on “shadowbanning”.

This is one of the most substantial FAQs for creators in a long time. As every week, here’s the breakdown of what Mosseri said — point by point.

Adam Mosseri’s Weekly FAQ — Highlights

Voici la liste des questions posées et les réponses apportées par le dirigeant d’Instagram.

1) If I switch my account to private, will my followers need to request again?

No. If you switch from public to private, your existing followers remain followers. They don’t need to do anything.

2. Does hiding likes lower reach?

No. Mosseri is clear: hiding like counts has zero impact — positive or negative — on reach.
It’s purely an aesthetic / comfort setting.

3. How do I get a different colour profile like some “Rings” winners?

You can’t. It’s a special feature only for the creators who won the annual “Rings” awards.
It’s not available to everyone.

4. Do video carousels appear in the Reels feed?

Yes — and he admits “it’s a bit weird”.
It’s a leftover from the old days when Instagram managed two different video formats (IGTV + Feed Video).
It’s a known bug, and the team will look into it.

5. How do I avoid a shadowban?

This was the biggest topic this week.

Mosseri says there is no official “shadowban programme”.
But he does admit Instagram does limit the reach of some accounts in two cases:

• you publish content that violates Community Guidelines
• you publish content that, while allowed, pushes the limits

He encourages creators to regularly check Account Status in their profile settings to see if any restrictions apply.

6. Can I search through my saved posts?

Not for now.
He recognises it’s a missing feature — and says the team will “take a look”, as saved content should absolutely be easier to index and retrieve.

7. Is more than 8 hashtags too many?

Major statement: hashtags generally do not improve reach.

Mosseri strongly recommends not adding large numbers of hashtags (8, 9, 10 or more).
It looks like an attempt to game the ranking — and it won’t work.

8. “You’re ruining Instagram 😡😡😡”

In front of this direct complaint, Mosseri responds plainly.

He says the goal is not to recreate the Instagram of the past, but to evolve the platform.
Current strategy is centred on DMs and recommendations, which is why feeds show fewer posts from accounts you follow.

He acknowledges they sometimes “push too far”, but insists evolution is necessary.

9. Editing auto-captions is a nightmare

He calls this feedback “very valuable”.
He wasn’t aware of the specific bug (clicking outside the edit box erases all changes) — and promises the teams will investigate.

What to Take Away This Week

Three clear takeaways for creators:

1. The Hashtag myth is over
   Stuffing posts with hashtags is officially pointless. Content quality > attempts to hack the algorithm.
2. Shadowban — the taboo word is now confirmed in practice
   Instagram does limit reach for content that pushes the boundaries.
   Checking Account Status becomes essential.
3. Instagram’s direction is clear — and it won’t go backwards
   The future of the platform is centred on recommendations (content from accounts you don’t follow) and private messaging, not the old chronological feed.

Find all of Mosseri’s weekly FAQ breakdowns on SoMeMe.fm.