jwz
Some wingnut I've never spoken to before (or again (*foreshadowing!*)) accused me of living in an "echo chamber" because I block people.
* Fuck the "echo chamber" discourse. I reject it entirely.I am not here to wear an ascetic's hair shirt because you think that surrounding myself with dickheads builds character.*
Block early and block often. I expanded on this in some detail in my "On Blocking" post from a few years back, but it bears repeating. Especially now.
https://jwz.org/b/ykcn
bipartisan
I think they're reacting to what happened on Reddit and Meta, where certain viewpoints were so widely censored that hugboxes were created.
No idea what the situation is on Twitter... I bugged out of there five years ago or so.
No Gods , no Masters! RESIST
@jwz
I have been blocking about one person a day...
They are not in my friends list, most seem to be rather new.
I don't bother arguing...
Spiritech
@jwz Yes they need the engagement. Best to ignore. Let them eat dead air.
Willow
@jwz I am in favor of blocking. I think it is an honest and effective way of blocking toxins.
geek2112
@chiclit sounds familiar
prakashnarayanan
Goodbye Tinnitus - #1 Tinnitus-Ending Trick For The Holidays
https//shorturl.at/RYKBm
Jane Vogel
@jwz Agreed. I read a variety of news sources and listen to various podcasts to avoid the information silo. However, there are some particularly stupid POV’s that, by the time you’ve reached nearly 70 yo, it’s fair to say “enough is enough.” Block early and often on social media.
jwz
@mempko That's a high bar though. Most people would agree that that is an uncontroversial block. My bar is much lower.
My bar is down around: "Complete stranger on the bus with Opinions, you seem somewhat unpleasant. I can press this one weird button and never hear from you again."
To some people, I am that unpleasant stranger! They should absolutely block me. If they think we would not enjoy each other's online company, they are probably right.
mempko
@jwz This. I'm not interested in having conversations with dipshits about whether slavery, pedophilia, fascism, child labor, genocide, mass deportation are ok sometimes. I don't need to argue whether the earth is round or climate change is real. I'm done with it.
Angie
@jwz Life is short, no reason to be annoyed. Block often.
Edward Jazzhands
@jwz I gotta be honest, a small part of me has a feeling that if someone says to you "You live in an echo chamber", and your immediate response is to say "Screw you!" and block them, it's quite possible that you live in an echo chamber. Are you trying to say you don't believe in the existence of Echo Chambers or that you just don't give a shit if you're in one? Those are very different things. The second one is fine, you can live your live however you want. The first one is absurd.
jwz
@edward_jazzhands You and your crap opinions are not entitled to my attention. I do not owe it to you. This is not my job and you are not a paying customer.
As someone else in this thread said, "You call it an echo chamber, I call it having friends whose company I enjoy. Try it some time."
Jef Poskanzer
@jwz Right wingnuts accusing leftists of uniformity of opinion: have they ever met any leftists?? Just because we all agree on one thing - NAZI PUNKS FUCK OFF - doesn't make us echoers.
jwz
@jef Sure but only a few goofballs will tell you "don't block the fash." I'm on team: block the "you seem slightly annoying".
ajayspwmi
@jwz https://lawncareexperts.online/manage.php?gem_id=410&ocm_id=e3c29bd3-1d95-11ef-a697-e3c2ded8
peterjfullagar 🏳️🌈
@jwz I used to engage with trolls and idiots. But then thankfully I learnt to block, block, block. Now a fully paid up member of block early and block often. Doing the same on Bluesky.
priyaanne
@jwz https://lawncareexperts.online/manage.php?gem_id=410&ocm_id=e3c29bd3-1d95-11ef-a697-e3c2ded8
Edward Jazzhands
@jwz I hope that closing your mind off to any semblance of an opinion that's different from your own ends up working out for you.
jwz
@edward_jazzhands And that's a *paaaaaalonk*
jwz
Golly, this post sure has upset a lot of dudes who feel they deserve to be heard.
Terri K O 🍁
@jwz I really pissed off some dude once by saying, "it's not an echo chamber, it's called having friends. Maybe you should try that instead of whatever it is you're doing?"
Anyhow, blocking is great.
Michael Kohne
@jwz I'm sure we're all as shocked as you are.
Forest_Gardens
@jwz This is the end goal, a self isolating population. There is only us. Not them and us. Just us. We have to talk to each other.
sortius
@jwz right on brother.
Take pleasure in blocking shit cunts!
differentiablepizza
@jwz Ok, I'll block you then bye
alcinnz
@jwz I find the people complaining about echo chambers tend to have the most milquetoast of opinions...
I'm not losing anything by blocking them!
jwz
@mawa
The other very important USENET rule that everyone now forgets: "If it's important, it will come back".
There is no chance that you will miss something important in The Discourse. None.
Matthias Warkus
@jwz One of the takes I repeated constantly when I was still on Usenet. There is no obligation to consume others’ postings any more than there is an obligation to watch specific TV shows
jwz
What I used to think on a day when I got 112 new followers: "Neat!"
What I now think on a day when I get 112 new followers: "Oh no"
Jason Scott
@jwz blocking people is like a spa treatment for my online life
jwz
@oceane @terri Please tell me more about what "the web" is "meant as". I find your ideas fascinating and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.
Océane
@jwz @terri And by the way, no, this isn't called "having friends" because the web is meant as a circulation space, not as a conviviality space. It isn't the XMPP or the IRC protocol.
Océane
jwz
Am I missing something or is the only Mastodon web interface for examining and manipulating the list of people you have blocked, "you can download a CSV"?
ewhac
@jwz @mawa
> "If it's important, it will come back."
Unfortunately, that can also be said of the flat-earther whose previous ${MAXINT} accounts have been perma-banned.
Chancerubbage
@jwz some third party apps might provide tools and a UI
jwz
@Chancerubbage Lots of things "might" be true. In what way do you feel your insight was even remotely helpful?
радарский
@jwz There are three laws that apply online:
Sturgeon's Law
Poe's Law
Copyright Law
millennial falcon
@jwz @mempko a perfect system. irl should release this feature too.
floydgump
@jwz Oh their greedganda is loud,prevalent and nonstop if you block it you still see it.In hell the demonganda is everywhere.
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