Why I’m very trigger-happy when it comes to blocking people online
Am I snowflake? No, I’m just not obliged to engage with you
Imagine you’re standing in the street, talking to some friends about cats, and a totally random stranger starts shouting at you. They’re really angry that you like cats. You don’t care, and ignore them, but they keep shouting. You walk away, but they keep following you demanding you listen to them. You slam your front door in their face, but they holler at you through the windows, calling you a coward.
Amazingly, online, the troll screaming at you will believe that you are obliged to read and respond to their opinion, debate with them, defend yourself, or engage with them, purely because you’ve dared to exist online. This is exhausting. It is emotional labour. As a content creator, it is completely unsustainable.
I’m fine with people disagreeing with me. Big deal. I have written something, you have written something, that’s the ecosystem. You’re mad I said tight suits looked silly, so what. You think I’m a crazy feminist for not wanting kids until I can afford a nanny, I don’t care. You’re furious I poked fun of passport bros: what’s for lunch? People are going to not like what you say or think sometimes, and that is totally valid and they should be able to do so. But you are…
