Linked: On Blocking & Criticism

Great Twitter Thread by Zeynep who is a writer / journalist for various publications:

I try not to block actual criticism but things I’ve started pretty much automatically blocking to make Twitter usable:

Snitch-tagging;

“Oh you’re surprised?” reply guys;

People who respond to an article *I* wrote with a point made in the article as if I could have no idea.

This is worth a read but since 2008, I’m a rapid blocker and my spidey-sense around trolls and jerks has been very accurate. When I go against my gut and decide to have a dialogue with them, I always find myself saying “yep, called it”.

What do I mean? I like discussion, debate and I’m very fast at realizing I’m wrong, admitting it and moving on. I like when someone out there who I haven’t met before can change my mind. It’s a sign of personal growth…we should always be willing and able to change our opinions if it’s for the better and backed by facts.

User nicolejleboeuf Replies with this:

The block button can be so freeing. I started off using it only in extreme circumstances, then realized I had every right to curate my Twitter experience so that it was fun, educational, social, and not detrimental to my emotional well-being.

I block constantly. It’s my feed, my space and you don’t have a right to be in it. We’re sharing a platform but my head-space is sacred so when someone comments on one of my videos or sends me a reply that is clearly trolling, I just block and don’t engage. 

Does that make me a snow flake? No. It means my time is valuable and I don’t have time to engage with people who don’t add value. They’re latching on to something I did or said in order to bring us both down and it’s very easy online to simply not participate.