Block friends: This is how it can save friendships – and that’s why you should do it too
First things first: No, I hate mine friends not. They are very important to me and I want nothing more than the very best for them. I’m happy for them when they can make their dreams come true, and I always have an open ear when there’s something to talk about. So all in all I would say that I’m a pretty good friend – sometimes more, sometimes less of course. From a certain age you also understand that it is an adult Friendship It is not important to be in exchange every day and tell each other about what you had for lunch today and where you saw a cute squirrel today. But in a certain way you are always indirectly in contact with each other. social media connects people in a way that has never been seen before. Regardless of time and place, we are always up to date on what each person was doing where and at what time – quite a lot, I think. My solution to deal with it better: friends on social media To block.
Block friends: Haven’t we already seen each other today?
I know that all sounds pretty radical at first. Banning your friends from your timeline is actually a crime these days. After all, you don’t hear anything from your loved ones anymore and can therefore end the friendship right away – but is that really the case? In my opinion, following or not following someone on social media is completely overrated. What does it say about me or my relationship with that person if I clicked “Follow” on someone or not? Isn’t it much more important whether you can really rely on each other in real life and are there for each other? I don’t have to comment on every picture of my friends with fire emojis or hearts to keep our friendship going.
Many Instagram users have a great need to share and show what they are doing. That’s all well and good, but for some people this need to communicate is more pronounced than for others. When these people are in our circle of friends, even if we haven’t seen them in weeks, we feel like we actually see them every day. You don’t realize that the last meeting was actually some time ago.
Block friends: Hiding your Instagram stories has done our relationship good
There are actually some people in my circle of friends who are close to me and whose Instagram stories I have hidden. This means that if they post something in their story, I won’t see it unless I specifically click on their profile. That may sound harsh, but it’s incredibly good for me and the friendships I have with these people. How come? We finally have something to talk about again! Conversations don’t come to a standstill after two minutes because you don’t have anything to talk about, since you’ve already documented every second of the other person’s everyday life on Instagram. And that doesn’t go according to the motto “out of sight, out of mind” – quite the opposite. I ask a lot more how friends are doing, what they’re up to and if they have any nice vacation coming up, instead of just letting their content on social media shower me on. In my eyes, a friendship also thrives on showing interest in the other person’s life – and by blocking or muting friends this happens much more naturally.
Block friends: Everyone is on vacation – and I can watch from the second row
We all know this phenomenon: Summer is starting so slowly and everyone is drawn to the sun. It’s almost impossible to click on Instagram anymore without being greeted by bikini photos, videos of beaches or shots of breathtaking views. And in a way, that’s nice too. You feel like you’re there without actually being there and having spent hundreds or even thousands of euros. But after the twentieth Instagram story from friends, showing the beautiful place in which they are enjoying their dinner while you yourself are sitting on your couch and want to cry looking outside, you eventually have enough.
In moments like this, I don’t think it’s a bad thing at all to mute certain people for a certain amount of time. That has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I don’t treat my friend:in to this holiday. But when I realize that being confronted with this kind of content over and over again while I’m in the process of tediously saving up a budget for my next long-awaited trip isn’t good for my mental health, I take that step .
Block friends: But should one also be honest about admitting that one has banned them from the timeline?
Of course, sooner or later it will come up and you have to ask yourself questions like “Have you not seen my story?” place. But how do you react to that? There are guaranteed to be people who will take the true answer the wrong way and take it personally. It has nothing to do with you as a person. When I’ve been asked about it so far – which admittedly has only happened once or twice – I’ve always been honest. Of course, when you say “I blocked you”, you get a pretty surprised facial expression at first.
But if you then go on to explain what the real reason is and that it has nothing to do with this person, you can laugh about it pretty quickly, and the other person understands what it’s all about. The fact is, when you have a grown-up friendship, you also enjoy the benefit of understanding each other. At a certain age you also realize that social media is not everything and has nothing to do with how good friends you are with each other. Just do what feels right to you and if you want to mute or block someone – go for it.