Investigating Influential Users’ Responses to Permanent Suspension on Social Media

DOI

Social media platforms use permanent suspension as a measure of last resort to intervene with users who spread harmful or misleading content. However, permanent suspension does not signify the end of a user's online presence, but rather on that specific platform. This issue is particularly salient for influential users with large audiences, as they have the potential to cause substantial shifts in the overall social media information landscape when suspended. Our work employs a mixed methods approach to study the context around, and behavioral patterns after, permanent suspension. We find that migration is a common step after suspension, and characterize a number of behavioral strategies and patterns that occur after influential users are suspended. By focusing on consequences of suspension across more holistically, we have identified numerous opportunities for design and future research to mitigate the potential negative effects of permanent suspensions on the broader social media information landscape.