Olivia Dunne claims to have been ‘shadow banned’ by TikTok as viewership figures on the LSU gymnast’s videos continue to nosedive
- “Shadow ban” means someone can still post content, but the reach is limited
- The LSU gymnast was recently in New York for a romantic trip with her boyfriend
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
Olivia Dunne claims to have been blackballed by TikTok after the viewership metrics for her videos hit a snag, with each of her last four posts failing to generate a million views.
The LSU gymnast and social media personality, who has 7.8 million followers on the video-based social network, made the claim under a comments section of a video shared late Tuesday.
For those unfamiliar with the term, “shadowbanning” means that a person's content can still be posted, but its reach is very limited.
Users on X expressed similar concerns to Dunne's before Elon Musk took over last April.
By comparison, every video Dunne posted from November 10 to 30 received at least 1.9 million views, with some having a greater reach than others.
Olivia Dunne asked her TikTok fans why she was shadow-banned from the app on Wednesday
Dunne, 21, has 7.8 million TikTok followers and has become one of the most followed athletes in the US
It remains unclear whether Dunne, 21, has been censored by TikTok or if she is on the wrong side of a broader algorithmic change.
Earlier this year, Dunne's TikTik account disappeared for a while before resurfacing in what she later described as a “glitch.”
Lately, Dunne has been sharing videos of her trip to New York City with highly rated MLB prospect and boyfriend Paul Skenes. She even made him his first TikTok video this week.
Dunne was recently in New York City with her boyfriend and top MLB prospect, Paul Skenes
Dunne recently opened up about her handling of her NIL deals while still a gymnast for LSU
Dunne made her Sports Illustrated swimsuit debut earlier this year and announced last month that she will return for this year's issue.
She also opened up about her rise to now being one of the most popular college athletes in America People in November.
“Over the last few years, juggling NIL or since my sophomore year, since the summer of 2021, I've definitely struggled to find the balance,” Dunne told the weekly.
'That's very important, because if you don't have balance, it can affect your mental health. I finally feel like I have a handle on it this year. Mentally compartmentalizing things is very important in my daily routine.”