Elon Musk, the owner of the X app (formerly known as Twitter), has brought about numerous changes in the social network, including employee layoffs, a name and logo change for the application, the reinstatement of many users who were previously banned from the platform, and other significant alterations. Now, in another step that could potentially upset many, Musk has announced that the option to block users on the app will soon be eliminated.
The blocking option is highly effective against spam or fake news distributors, harassers, or online bullies. In response to a user's question on the social network, "What makes you block someone," Musk replied, "Blocking will be removed as a feature, except for blocking in private messages." One surprising supporter of this idea is Jack Dorsey, the former owner of the social network and its founder. In response, Musk said, "Jack understands."
Musk's idea is to abolish the blocking option – whereby users you block cannot read your tweets or respond – and replace it with a "mute" function. With the "mute" function, users can read or respond to your tweets, but you won't see it. Many argue that the logic behind this step is business-oriented, as X has decided that users can earn rewards for broader exposure to their tweets and incorporating ads on their pages. Now, since even blocked users will be exposed to tweets, profits from advertising on the network will increase.
As expected, Musk's move was not well received by all users on the network, with many of them even responding to his tweet. The concern is that now the social network will become a more toxic and hostile place with the return of the blocked users.