Carlos Fentanes

Instagram, the arbiter of digital decency, embarked on a censorship tango with my artistic pursuits – a saga that unfolded not once, but twice. The stage was set in the unassuming realm of a Canadian Erotica Themed Art Show: “A Hot Minute” a three ring erotic art show with venues in Victoria BC, North Vancouver BC and Calgary AB, an opportunity I embraced with exuberance, naively believing in the sanctity of artistic expression within Instagram’s seemingly elastic guidelines.

Picture this: a video unveiling of my creation, an artwork that, by its very nature, flirted with the provocative. Yet, I meticulously shielded it from explicit visibility, adhering to the dictates of Instagram’s ever-elusive rulebook. My drawing, an unapologetic ode to erotica, bore the burden of being not entirely fit for all audiences, tailored as it was for an exhibition of carnal canvases. But, in my defense, I had strategically veiled the anatomy, playing by Instagram’s ostensible code.

The saga began with an initial act of suppression, a curt dismissal by Instagram’s algorithmic overseer, shrouded in the guise of community guidelines. Swiftly, I contested this digital decree, invoking the virtual gods, and miraculously, my video was reinstated on my timeline. The victory, however, was ephemeral. The curators, in their zealous attempt to share my artistic endeavor, encountered a similar fate. Their repost met the same algorithmic resistance, leaving me to wonder if an appeal was even entertained.

Just as the incident threatened to fade into the recesses of my digital memory, a reprisal occurred. Twenty days after its initial outing, Instagram yanked my video from the public eye once again. This time, my plea for reinstatement fell on deaf algorithmic ears, as the platform stood firm in its conviction that my creation transgressed the sacred boundaries of community guidelines on nudity and sexual activity.

A perplexing predicament arose when I delved into Instagram’s Community Guidelines. The rules on nudity and sexual activity were veiled in ambiguity, a maze of digital legalese that failed to provide clarity. In a single, cryptic paragraph, Instagram outlined its stance, ostensibly steering clear of explicit content while permitting a nuanced space for artistic nudity.

The irony lay in the fact that my contentious artwork, replete with genitalia yet veiled in a cloak of artistic ambiguity, found itself ensnared in the web of Instagram’s enigmatic guidelines. A Kafkaesque dance unfolded as my account faced suspension, cloaking itself in invisibility to non-followers, banished from Explore, Search, and the sanctums of Suggested Users, Reels, and Feed recommendations.

In adhering to Instagram’s guidelines to the letter, I found myself shackled by the very rules meant to liberate artistic expression. The digital labyrinth of censorship left me pondering the limits of creativity within the ever-evolving landscape of online platforms. Instagram’s algorithmic enigma had transformed my artistic odyssey into a cautionary tale, a reminder that even in the virtual realms, the dance with censorship is one fraught with uncertainty and caprice.