:) I see someone decided to use the tools and block me.
Good for them. Life is too short. If my existence online is annoying to others, I'm genuinely glad they're ridding themselves of the problem.
I strive not to block folks myself, because I think constructive dissent is something we need more of, but rarely have opportunities to practise. It's not always pleasant for others to watch, though (I got a few worried DMs during this last exchange), so apologies for that discomfort to all of you!
I think maybe one of the first mistakes we made early in this social media era was going along with the whole notion of "friending" online accounts. It set us up for some intense parasocial obligations and feelings of rejection, eh?
I feel the same way about the people who've blocked me.
You seem like a pretty good flavour to me, though, Kel! Nutty in just the right way. π
@MLClark ouch, just saw it. π you for sooo many reasons.
@MLClark Some people don't want genuine dialogue and abhor dissent.All they want is for you to agree with them. Sadly had to block several here recently for that.
Dissent can be difficult when it's tied into trauma: sometimes safety matters more, so no broader dialogue is possible. And with many current, painful situations in the world, personal investment is just never going to make keyboard commentary tolerable for some.
That said, I'm sorry it's been such a rough go, finding opportunities for genuine dialogue. If you ever want to throw down with me over something I've posted, please do! Otherwise, I'm glad to still have you around. ππ»
@MLClark Oh I'll be here for quite some time yet.Anyone who fancies being argumentative or insulting to me and I have a very rapid block finger.π I've had some of the best conversations here than any other SM platform.Unfortunately there is a very small bunch of peeps here who seem to take enjoyment in being arsey just for the sake of it.I'd love to know exactly how many here have them blocked,guessing it's a lot.π
@MLClark Good. One less idiot you have to deal with.
Life *is* certainly easier when I'm the biggest idiot in my vicinity. ππ» Thanks, Nick!
@MLClark Some people like to paint the picture of a perfect, staged life and live for the fawning. Or they thrive on tearing other people down to boost their own fragile egos.
It's soured my enjoyment of social media and now I keep it very tightly controlled.
One whiff of toxicity and 
Oh, that's a really neat range! And very smart: a lot of research around the negative impact of social media highlights the toxic impact of people posting "perfect lives", so it sounds like you've got a strategy that really puts health and wellness first for you.
Thanks for sharing, and for protecting your well-being online!
@MLClark We all have to do what we can to keep ourselves sane. Number one rule: don't get out of the boat to read the comments. LOL. Main reason I quit Twitter.
I only have Instagram and my feed is full of french cafes and cat memes. I live for the brown screaming cat.
@MLClark 100% of the people who have blocked me did us both a favor.
Not viewing it as punitive does take some getting used to, but I've been thankful for it every time.
People are like flavors. Β―\_(γ)_/Β―