That week in July when my Russia meme got me banned from three platforms at once

I used to think all meme bans were just overreacting by sensitive companies. Then last July I posted a joke about a Russian politician that I found funny and not that bad. Within 48 hours I got banned from Twitter, Facebook, and even a smaller site I used. I honestly thought free speech meant I could post whatever I wanted. But then I read through the comments from people who actually live under that government. One person explained how that meme had been used by trolls to spread lies that got real people arrested. Hearing their side made me realize context matters a lot more than I gave it credit for. I still think some bans go too far but I changed my mind about thinking every ban is just censorship. Has anyone else had a moment where seeing the context behind a banned meme shifted their whole view on it?

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1 Comment

perry.lee1mo ago

Three platforms? That's rough. I got nuked off Instagram in like twelve hours after sharing a meme about a local city council thing I thought was harmless. Someone I actually knew from high school DMed me with a screenshot of how that same meme format got used to dox a community organizer in their own neighborhood. Ever since then I started checking who made the meme and what crowd is sharing it before I hit post. Just a quick two minute search on the original creator or the earliest version can save you a world of headache and lost accounts.