On January 7, 2025, my Instagram account was suddenly suspended. The notification claimed I had violated community guidelines, yet I hadn’t done anything out of the ordinary. I was shocked, frustrated, and left wondering how I could prove my innocence to an algorithm.

The way my heart was beating so hard in my chest and the level of anxiety in my body rose as each second passed while I was frantically trying to gain access to my account was terrible. I wondered if I had been hacked. I followed the recovery process, entering codes through 2-factor authentication, only to hit a dead end. I also received an email stating “Your account has been suspended.” I was instructed to appeal, which included uploading a selfie to verify my identity.

Finally, I received a message stating that my appeal would take up to 30 days. During this time, my account would either be restored or permanently deleted.

After making my appeal, I realized something critical: we don’t own our social media platforms, even when we invest years building them.

Despite years of effort building my audience of 11.7K followers (mostly organically), everything could be gone in an instant. It was a wake-up call that taught me a valuable lesson: diversify and own your digital presence.

Social media is powerful, but it’s borrowed space. These platforms aren’t ours—they’re businesses with rules that can change without notice. It’s a reminder that if we rely solely on social media, we’re leaving our work and connections at risk.

I’ve had a website, blog, and email list for some time, but I didn’t fully prioritize them. That changes now. Moving forward, I’m committing to building and nurturing my own platforms where I control the narrative.

Practical Tips for Protecting Your Digital Presence

If this experience has taught me anything, it’s the importance of being proactive. Here are some actionable steps to safeguard your work and connections:

1️⃣ Build Your Own Platforms:

Invest in a website or blog where you can showcase your work, tell your story, and connect with your audience.

2️⃣ Start and Grow an Email List:

Emails are direct, personal, and something you own. Regularly engage with your audience through newsletters and updates.

3️⃣ Back Up Your Content:

Save important posts, captions, and media files to a secure cloud or hard drive. Don’t rely on platforms to keep your data safe.

4️⃣ Diversify Your Presence:

Use multiple platforms to reach your audience, but make sure they all lead back to a space you own.

5️⃣ Understand Platform Rules:

Familiarize yourself with the community guidelines of each platform to minimize risk.

6️⃣ Be Ready for the Unexpected:

Set up 2-factor authentication, regularly update your passwords, and keep alternative ways to communicate with your followers (like a newsletter).

What About You?

Have you experienced something similar? How are you safeguarding your digital presence?

Let’s share and learn from each other—because we’re all navigating this digital landscape together.

Originally published on my LinkedIn Newsletter Live Life & Prosper