Important things to remember
- Twitter is reportedly working on a new block button.
- The new system will still prevent users from interacting with public accounts that have blocked them, but will still allow them to view their own content.
- “It’s time for this to happen,” Twitter owner Elon Musk said. Social media reactions to the change were divided.
X was originally called TwitterIt looks like Twitter is preparing to overhaul its block button, with reports suggesting that Twitter's old blocking functionality will be replaced with a significantly more limited feature.
Since Elon Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion in October 2022, the social media platform has made some big changes. In addition to activating many permanently banned accounts, it has also changed its cross-platform promotion policies and is trying to better monetize its hundreds of millions of users by launching a Twitter Blue subscription service, among other offerings.
Elon Musk says it's time to overhaul Twitter's blocking functionality
Musk's ongoing Twitter reforms appear to be aimed at the platform's blocking feature. On Sept. 23, app researcher Nima Owji reported that Twitter is completely removing the current block button and replacing it with a more limited functionality. The new system will still allow users to block others, but it won't prevent the blocked person from seeing content from the person who blocked them. Musk responded to Owji's report by insisting that “it's time for this to happen,” seemingly confirming that a revamp of Twitter's block button is coming soon.
Some Twitter users are unhappy with improvements to the blocking feature
Social media reactions to the change seem to be mixed. Some Twitter users welcomed the new update, as it was a way to improve the app's usability without compromising the original block button's primary purpose: letting people decide who can interact with them. Others argued that the ability to prevent people from seeing other people's posts is an essential part of any blocking feature. “I don't want the perverts I blocked to see my posts,” Twitter user Philosophi_Cat wrote in response to Musk's latest hint about the upcoming change.
With this new fix, the only way Twitter users can control who can see their posts is to make their profile private and then follow the accounts they want to follow, so this isn't the ideal approach for popular users with high followings.
The changes aren't as drastic as what Musk claimed to be implemented in August 2023, when he Say that Twitter wants the old blocking feature to be “removed” from everything except DMs. Some social media users are against the change, arguing that the only reason Twitter is implementing it is to increase content visibility and engagement, which would result in more ad revenue.
