Banned from Instagram

[Bongo]

I have an Instagram account that I haven't uploaded anything or used for years - probably almost 10 years. I do go there occasionally to look at other people's stuff. Well, I've been Banned! Not just locked out of my account, but banned from even going on Instagram!!


To gain access not just to my account but to ANYTHING on Instagram, they want me to send a selfie to prove my identity. My face does not appear ANYWHERE on the internet there is nothing to compare. So how is that going to prove anything?

So I'm thinking I'll upload a fake picture. But on Google I'm reading that they are also asking people now to upload VIDEOS of themselves to help deter fake pictures. It would not bother me if I were to lose that account, but I do want to be able to access Instagram AND I don't want anyone claiming my pictures as their own, or using my Instagram idenity as their own. ---I ALSO don't want to upload my picture. So?? what to do??

 

[snoball]

I never use my Instagram account either but I get constant emails telling me I need to go look at this or that friend's post.

 

[brianvds]

I have to wonder why you want so much to access Instagram? I was active there for years, and eventually realized it serves no purpose; IG is useless for either developing a following or finding interesting artists to follow. And so I abandoned the account. Presumably only a question of time before I get banned.

I tried out Cara, but it has its own set of issues that makes it largely useless, at least to me.

 

[Bongo]

When I do plein air I sometimes get people asking to see my work, or are curious about my work. So Instagram is an easy way to do that. In fact they often ask --"are you on Instagram?" So basically just for that purpose. I agree trying to get followers, frequent posting etc. is a lost cause. As I said my page is a mess, also sprinkled with street photography, ten years out of date, etc. - so I haven't been directing anyone there. Just when I'm planning to fix it up, I get banned! Also I don't (didn't) surf Instagram, but when someone would post an interesting link, or a name comes up, etc. I would go there to check it out.

I have a website, but it too has not been updated for many years, a bit clumsy, and more of a deep scattered dive into my work.
I want a clean brief introduction -- for those that ASK. Again, don't care about visitors or followers.

 

[Enyaw]

Get a business card for those who ask. Send them to a page on your web. …. Just a thought.

 

[Bongo]

Get a business card for those who ask. Send them to a page on your web. …. Just a thought.

They don't ask for business cards, they're on their way to the grocery store and look to see what you're up to. And you get a "cool painting, you have an Instagram?" Depending on where I'm painting, I get a few requests for instagram or website, virtually never for business card. It's just not that kind of interaction. It's just a casual curiosity on their part.

Real estate agents, dentists, used car salesmen do business cards because they are a business. I know of plein air artists that tape placards to the back of their easels, hawking their work and hand out a business card to anyone that talks to them. To each his own. I'm not a sidewalk salesmen.

I have business cards - if asked I would hand one out. I would never offer one. To me it would be like a girl happens to smile your way, so you run up and give her your phone number. I wouldn't do that either. Maybe that's why I don't sell many paintings or go on many dates, but that's my code.

 

[Hermes2020]

Would Imgur (https://imgur.com) perhaps be a useful alternative?

 

[Bongo]

don't know much about Imgur, but Instagram is the "standard" for casual interaction with the public. If I told someone "Imgur" I'd get bogged down explaining what an Imgur is.

Nothing wrong with Instagram. Problem is when people use it thinking they're going to make a lot of contacts and make a lot of sales and have to be constantly posting. Doesn't work out for most. I only want it to park a few paintings to show when asked..

SO... I could probably use a different email and name and start a new account. I don't mind losing the content and "contacts", but I want to keep the name. So a simple solution is to give the selfie they're asking for. I don't know, maybe.

 

[Grapes]

Bongo, if you can figure out how to get your IG functioning again, please post it here, we could follow each other.

What I've seen lately on IG is that if my friends focus on posting paintings, then the photographs they tend to post to "Stories". I'm doing that now too.

I haven't found business cards useful, when I give them to people no one ever enters to my page. On Instagram I have one of my clients following me and commenting time to time.

I only want it to park a few paintings to show when asked..

That's what I do with it! I also keep in contact with my pleinair friends so I can't delete my account and hope not to get banned.

Anyway, the whole thing about sending a selfie sounds very odd to me. Maybe someone over there is collecting people's faces for a database .. I recall in South America being one company doing that. Who knows. I wouldn't send a selfie to them. I have an IG avatar but it's my portrait drawing and of course it's not my face. It's a barque drawing. If IG would ban my account and ask me to send a selfie to them, I wouldn't. Can you send just any picture, a painting, (not being your selfie) to them and that way recover your IG?

 

[Grapes]

I read on Instagram that they actually do ask the video to confirm your identity. I'm surprised It just occurred to me that maybe you could make a video of the paintings on your living room wall of some of the latest posts you made on Instagram and prove that way you are who you are. Same with the avatar if you have a painting as avatar you could make a video in your room of the painting. Do you think that would work?

 

[Bongo]

They're asking for a photo, I'm afraid the next thing they would ask for is a video. If the fake picture I uploaddoesn't match the video that could be a fail.

For the video I hear they want you moving you're head so they see it in 3d. They also want you to hold a note up with it that has your user name and a code number they send you. So making a fake, not impossible, but not easy either.

The reason I was banned was that I supposedly accessed my account from a device I don't normally use. Well, I only have 3 devices, phone, computer, tablet. -- And no matter which one I use, they send me a new message saying that is a device I don't normally use. They also include the city and time where it came from, which is the city and time I tried to access!? This is the company you want to trust with your photo?

On the flipside I think it's only a short matter of time when everywhere you go on the internet, facebook, online banking, new email, google, Microsoft, cloud etc. will require video id. So we won't have much choice

 

[Grapes]

Oh dear ..

 

[Artyczar]

Wow, this is surprising. I think it must have something to do with AI. They've taken some of my reply posts down because they considered them "spam" just when I've said things of support to other artists. Totally arbitrary and random of them to pick out whatever set of words I may have used. And maybe you're right--maybe they will start requiring this from everyone eventually.

As far as business cards instead of Instagram, I too find people ask for my Instagram far more often than a biz card. It's just the way of the world in this computer age. I don't really like Instagram, but I have it and post my art on it as a necessity.