‘WE JUST WANT TO POST’

Meme Creators Descend on Instagram’s NYC HQ, Slamming Guidelines That Create ‘Censorship’

Creators say Instagram selectively censors content, targeting political content and and that of sex workers.

Mark Zuckerberg is public enemy No. 1 for meme creators who say Meta’s guidelines have unfairly targeted certain content and creators. A group organized what they called the “Anti-Zuck Instarrection” on Saturday, protesting outside of and handcuffing themselves to Instagram’s New York City headquarters. Organizers told BuzzFeed News they feel that current practices threaten creators’ livelihoods. In a list of demands, creators call for a more thorough review process for reporting posts, less bias toward political content, an end to shadowbanning, and making account deletion a last resort. “Why is it so hard for marginalized voices and women to express themselves?” a protestor told BuzzFeed. “We’re not hurting anybody.” A Meta spokesperson said it’s engaging with organizers directly to address concerns.