Locked, Blocked, and Stuck: My Struggle with Social Media

In today’s digital world, platforms like Facebook and Instagram are lifelines for small business owners and personal connections alike. They’re where you share updates, market your products, and stay in touch with loved ones near and far. But what happens when you lose access to your accounts, and the process of recovery feels like an endless maze with no exit?

That’s the exact predicament I find myself in. Here’s the story.

I’ve been locked out of Meta for Facebook and Instagram. Why? Because I didn’t keep my account details up to date. The email address linked to my Meta accounts no longer exists (although I thought I had deleted it and I have never been asked to use it for anything else related to meta), and now Meta wants me to verify my identity using that same email address. The irony? The very thing that should unlock the door is long gone, and there seems to be no workaround.

It doesn’t stop there. My ads account has been flagged and blocked due to “suspicious activity.” Despite providing the requested information to verify my account, Meta keeps rejecting my submissions. The channels I rely on to market my business and stay connected with friends from overseas are now very close to being inaccessible.

Why It’s Such a Big Deal

For my business, Facebook is my primary platform for connecting with my community, sharing updates, and driving engagement. For my personal life, my Facebook account is how I stay in touch with my contacts, many of whom live overseas. I personally don't share much at all but for some reason my account seems to hold valuable connections and memories. I love the memory pop up Facebook does. Maybe I'm over thinking it.

The frustration deepens with the realisation that I can’t start fresh and create a new personal account without deleting my old one—losing all my personal contacts in the process. Similarly, I can’t create a new business page without first deleting the old one. It’s a double-edged sword with no clear solution.

The Futility of Seeking Help

I’ve tried reaching out to Meta and even enlisted the help of multiple marketing professionals, but no one seems to have a definitive answer. I have a marketing background myself but the limited time I have to troubleshoot only adds to the dilemma. This is exactly why I got out of the execution of marketing and only focus on strategy for my clients.

The Bigger Picture

This experience has been a stark reminder of how reliant we’ve become on these platforms for personal and professional connectivity. It’s also a lesson in the importance of maintaining up-to-date account details, a seemingly small task that could have saved me a world of trouble. For now, I’m stuck in limbo, debating whether to delete and restart or hold out for a miracle solution. I think this blog is my final cry for help before I inevitably bite the bullet.

A Call for Change

If there’s a takeaway from my predicament, it’s that businesses like Meta need to create more user-friendly processes for account recovery. Losing access shouldn’t feel like losing a lifeline. Some personal customer service would be nice instead of having to deal with AI. AI can obviously not deal with more nuanced issues. Meanwhile, for anyone reading this: keep your account details up to date. It’s a small effort that could save you from a major headache.

Have You Faced This Too?

If you’ve gone through something similar and found a solution, I’d love to hear from you. Share your experience—maybe your insights could help someone like me navigate this digital dilemma.

One good thing out of this s#*t show, I got a new blog topic. Not even sure you can call that a silver lining but I take what I can. Have a lovely day everyone.