Althea Jones hasn’t been able to use her Instagram account since July 25.
That’s the day the Akron artist received a message from the social media platform that her account was now suspended for going against Instagram’s community standards on sexual solicitation.
The suspension came after Jones sent direct messages to her followers asking them to participate in her new project, “I am Not a Prostitute.”
“I’ve started a new work titled, I am NOT a prostitute,” Jones’ message began. “This work was inspired by a recent encounter when I was offered $20 for oral sex. I am beginning this piece with a survey to understand what the experiences of others have been.”
The message also included a link to the survey and a “trigger warning” for “sensitive sexual subject matter.”
Jones suspects the suspension is the result of keyword filtering. Social media platforms will often use the tool to block inappropriate content. But she doesn’t know for sure. After she was notified about the suspension, she submitted an appeal that same day. But the appeal didn’t provide any space for Jones to enter more information.
“It did not ask me for context or anything,” she said. “Just asked me to basically prove I was a person. So, take a selfie. Do the video selfie thing where you [turn your head] left, center, that type of thing.”
After submitting her appeal, she received a confirmation message from Instagram. “It usually takes us just over a day to review your information,” the message read.
It’s been two weeks.
New project triggered Instagram suspension
Instagram is the only social media platform Jones uses. She said she has about 3,600 followers. She also has an email list, but it doesn’t reach as many people as her Instagram account.
Instances of censorship are not new for Instagram. Meta, the platform’s parent company which also owns Facebook, has been criticized for suppressing posts about politics, the war in Gaza and photos of women’s bodies.
“Social media has the facade of being a place to be heard,” Jones said. “But as I’m trying to create a space where people can be heard and feel valued, it’s been shut down.”
Jones was inspired to create “I am Not a Prostitute” after her own experiences with street harassment. In June, Jones was solicited by a man as she walked to her studio at Summit Artspace. The experience, which happened soon after she moved into the studio, was jarring, and it left her hesitant about walking to her new space.
“I had to hype myself up and be like, ‘OK, no, we’re not gonna allow fear to dictate what we do. We’re gonna do everything the same way we would normally,’” Jones said.
So far, Jones has received survey responses from 88 people, the majority of whom have experienced street harassment. More than half said that the incident made them feel unsafe.
On Oct. 5, Jones plans to host a walk and a writing workshop at The Well CDC centered on combatting street harassment. The workshop will focus on writing statements of protection and accountability so women are better equipped to respond to harassment. Jones wants to give women the space to talk about their experiences in community with each other.
The Instagram suspension has caused Jones to adjust how she communicates with people.
Conversations with clients and collaborators via Instagram messaging were moved to email. An update she would normally post to the app was instead sent to her email subscribers. Last week, she got up early to hang fliers around town about the survey.
“I just refuse to be silenced,” Jones said. “I’m not gonna keep the peace, and I’m not gonna be quiet.”
