Remember when we all kind of collectively resisted blocking people on social media because of the reasoning that it would ‘create an echo chamber’ or ‘make us lazy to conflict resolution’?
Yeah, me either.
Mostly it just chased me off of social media because it caused nothing but anxiety even opening the app. But there is so much to like about a nearly managed platform so when I started using platforms more, I went a little crazy.
Stupid video with those annoying songs? Block.
Spammy MLM (pyramid schemes, you poor delusional fools)? Block.
Pseudo intellectuals that you know on sight will personally attack you for calling them out so you don’t even want to see their name again? Block.
‘I speak my mind because no one else wi-‘ BLOCK!
I love the power I have to simply remove potential or persistent irritations from my life and really focus on people and hobbies that were my whole reason to go on platforms in the first place. And really, we should all be this reflexive when life needs deep cleaning. We should all deplatform toxic people and maybe make them assess the echo chambers they create. They can call it being cancelled but I believe we’ve all been too permissive of giving predators and abusers leeway to fuel their destructive natures.
I know my little block list examples seem petty but that’s because I oversimplified. Each of the examples are either people I’ve tolerated far too much over time that kind of pushed that last button or people I’ve seen troll or abuse everyone on a group post and I like the group too much to let them ruin it for me. And indeed, when I point out to someone that they’re overdoing it and losing the audience and they suggest I can block them like I had no idea I could, I don’t bother to debate it and simply block them. Being condescending or rude when called out on bad behavior is an indication they’ll keep doing and possibly antagonize you purposely for doing it. Not worth waiting to find out.
I think social media made some of us forget that there are likely at least two dozen people you really look forward to talking to and would trade all the likes just to see what they post or comment next. You don’t need to collect by volume and take for granted that no matter how aggressively you block people, you’ll always still have hundreds or thousands more potentially compatible people to run into. Rather than carry around the negativity or flinch at the thought that troll will annoy you again, purge it immediately and see how much happier you start to become. Reward the content you want to see, avoid the rest. It’s not the same as deplatforming or doxxing or outright damaging what you’re opposed to. It’s just like you don’t give to one charity and burn down the others. No matter how much someone tries to tell you it’s ‘cancel culture’, it’s not.
In fact, block them too. Over-exaggerating what censorship or abuse is most often means they are subconsciously abusive if not outright enjoying direct abuse of others.
And you can unblock people if you’re feeling you might be curious, but most social media won’t let you block again for 24 hours so that may not be a worthwhile risk for someone you don’t truly know or have cared about.
Really, I just feel like we can never hear it enough; your own reasons for removing people from your life or platforms don’t need to be justified. There are some subtleties to abuse that you can’t easily explain to someone who hasn’t experienced it and can trigger a lingering sense of dread when not actively addressed or corrected.
I watched an interview with Monica Lewinsky where she said that blocking is so liberating and it leads to some very good points. We don’t owe anyone room to voice their damaging opinions. Having opinions doesn’t give them any rights to tell you how to react to them. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve blocked for countering with ‘I’m allowed to have an opinion’. Sometimes their opinion is about my life and it’s inappropriate; if their opinion is more precious than apologizing for overstepping, block.
Don’t tell me it’s a free country or to suck it up or whatever self-righteous and blatantly untrue rationale you can conjure up. It’s not a free country; women have barriers for control of their own bodies and healthcare (I’m asexual, which is never believed, and I was denied birth control for the hormone regulation from a doctor who is allowed to say it’s against her beliefs). People who look a certain way face discrimination and obstacles that are ways for others; this includes racial, cultural, gendered, religious (and atheistic), classist and ableist barriers. And yes, the examples are a long story but how about another personal anecdote? I learned I wasn’t eligible for food assistance because I have a joint account with my dad in case something happens to him I can access funds to care for his other dependents. This is where I learned that those on assistance, including disability cannot have access to accounts of more than $5000, sometimes even $2500, each month and have to liquidate those accounts on specific household spending to that amount to retain eligibility. Which basically means they can’t build a decent savings against big emergencies, loss of any financial safety net, etc.
I don’t have time for thoughtless nonsense; certainly not from our very not-free country and definitely not from internet nobodies who don’t deserve free rent in my head. I’m not going to tolerate mean ass people. Or boring or annoying people. Sorry, but I really hate 99% of any music in the background of a FB reel or TikTok video. I don’t want to watch people dance or talk about vapid shit or put on makeup (unless you’re Bailey Sarian and can tell some interesting stories; really, I’m fascinated that people can even form coherent thoughts while putting on makeup, let alone spout facts).
There’s no shame in being proactive in trimming your content. The really annoying viral shit these days tends to be because we passively ignore it or even accidentally click on it or it gets auto-played. I actively downvote or dislike those, if only to let the algorithm know not to recommend or show me that shit.
Know your bliss. Block.
