The joy of blocking people on the internet
As someone who publishes article about tech with a human focus, I tend to run into two types of weirdos on the internet. Today, I wanted to talk about who they are, and the zen-like joy that comes from blocking them.
Let’s dig in…
The tech snob
The first type of weirdo I deal with is the tech snob.
They often pop out of the woodwork in response to articles like this Heydon Pickering video on how HTML is a programming language.
You can usually spot this person because they say “actually” a lot.
- “Actually, HTML is a markup language, not a programming language.”
- “You can’t use HTML to solve difficult problems.”
- “I’m not here to learn. I just wanted to support you.”
You can see the pattern: argue about subjective or semantic opinions as if they’re resoundingly facts. Dismiss the merits of a technology or approach they’re not good at. Act like they’re “too smart” for me, anyways.
Usually, they’re just assholes, and blocking them is easy.
Gmail has a “block” feature which is very nice. I can block subscribers in ConvertKit, too.
The harder-to-spot tech snobs are the ones who are polite but unrelenting. I once had a dude get mad at me—over-and-over again—for telling folks it’s OK to write more verbose code if its easier to read.
He was never a jerk. Just repeatedly insistent in this patronizing “father knows best” kind of way that I was deeply wrong.
My dude, start your own blog if you feel so strongly about it!
The anti-woke warrior
This type of weirdo comes out when I write about considering the actual people we build things for.
If I write how accessibility is your job, or why performance matters, or the literal fact that people in historically excluded communities are underrepresented in tech, I usually get at least one email from someone frothing at the mouth about how I’m too sensitive and “a snowflake” (which is, of course, deeply, hilariously ironic).
They are, of course, an easy block.
You don’t owe anyone your time or attention
There’s this insidious belief that if you’re a serious professional, you have an obligation to debate people on professional topics in your area of focus.
But just because someone has a right to share terrible opinions does not mean you have an obligation to respond or even listen to them.
Block people, early and often!
Life is too short to suffer from toxicity when you could people spreading joy to people who really value you and what you do.