Social media can be great for friendship or it can make an already tense relationship worse. No one likes to get blocked but nearly all of us have had to remove a friend from our digital lives, if not our real life social circle. Admit it, blocking that friend who was causing you grief made you feel good! Here’s why.

It Helps You Maintain Control to Block a Friend

There’s not much in our lives that we can control, especially when it comes to friendship.


You can’t control the way a friend acts or thinks or stop them from talking over you when you’re together. But in the online world you can block their Facebook posts or Instagram feeds. What’s more, doing so gives you a feeling of control, like flipping a switch and turning an annoyance off so you don’t have to listen anymore.

This feeling of control may be temporary if you have to see your friend in person again. That’s the danger of blocking someone, but many people say it’s worth it. A “block” sends the message that you don’t like what a friend is saying or how they are acting, and it’s a sign that your friendship isn’t on good terms.

Blocking a Friend Gets Their Attention

Sometimes we talk to friends about a problem we’ve had (“I won’t stand for you criticizing me,” “I don’t like it when you shove your opinions in my face”) and they just don’t get it or don’t seem to care. When a friend isn’t listening, blocking them gives them an unmistakable sign that their behavior is unacceptable.

It shows them you aren’t going to stand for a friend that doesn’t listen to or respect you.

If a friend has been blowing off your other attempts at communication, blocking them may get their attention and cause them to look at their behavior differently.

It’s a Way to Maintain a Toxic-Free Life

Many of us have toxic relationships we have to contend with. These might be close friends we can’t seem to break up with or family members we must keep in contact with, so when we have a chance to block out toxicity on some level it feels good to take it. Facebook friends who are more like acquaintances or friends from high school we haven’t seen in ages are more likely to get blocked than someone we are closer emotionally to.

Blocking Keeps Our Friend Numbers Manageable

Science shows us that we can only handle a maximum of 150 friends, so when someone behaves in a way that upsets us it feels even better to block them. It clears the emotional clutter we’re already dealing with by interacting with our other friends. We’re naturally prone to trim our friend lists without even realizing it, so blocking is another extension of this behavior.

It Feels Good at First, But Will You Regret It?

The big question when it comes to blocking people is will you regret it later on? Or more to the point, will it cause you drama in real life? These are valid questions you need to ask yourself before you block someone.

Also, blocking someone may not wipe them from your social networking interaction completely. They might pop up on other friend’s pages or find you on another site. If they see you in person, things are bound to be awkward. In order for blocking to be a healthy thing for you, you have to make sure that whoever you block isn’t someone you want a relationship with and isn’t involved in your life in any manner.

Blocking does not solve or end conflict. It may end a digital relationship but the residual negative feelings you might have about a person will still be there. However, it does help not to see someone online if you have a problem with them, so if you’re sure you want to block them do so without regret.