Users said that Musk’s idea was wrong and that it would let troll accounts bother them.
When Elon Musk, the owner of X, said that the company was trying to get rid of the “block” feature from the site that used to be called Twitter, many well-known social media users were agitated.
Longtime users of the platform said that the “block” function, which lets accounts stop seeing and talking to specific accounts and keeps those accounts from doing the same, is a vital part of X.
Several people said that it was the only way to avoid seeing things they didn’t want to see. Users often use this feature to stop trolls who spam or attack them repeatedly.
Musk made the controversial statement about X on Friday in response to a tweet questioning how useful the feature was.
“Tesla Owners Silicon Valley” tweeted on Friday, “Is there ever a reason to block someone instead of mute them? Explain yourself.” The “mute” feature on X is another option that lets users hide posts from certain people from their feeds, but the muted account can still see the muter’s posts. If a user mutes an account, the account doesn’t know it, but if it tries to view the blocker’s account, it finds out it’s been stopped.
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Musk personally responded to the account’s post by writing, “Block will be deleted as a “feature,” except for direct messages.”
Musk seemed to be referring to a way for people to “block” others from texting them directly through the app.
The wealthy tech guru said the block function “makes no sense.” But angry users filled Musk’s response, saying that “block” is a crucial function that should stay.
Buck Sexton, a conservative pundit, disagreed with Musk’s idea. He wrote, “Blocking is one of the most important parts of this site. If not, it will become a place where the worst people can keep bothering each other.”
Billboard Chris, a conservative campaigner, also criticized Musk’s call: “Worst idea ever. People who talk about difficult topics will get a lot of haters who only want to start fights and spread false information. Haters, liars, and people who will dox shouldn’t be able to use my answers as a stage.”
He had another thing to say about Musk’s platform: “The reporting process through X is still terrible, so this is the least smart thing you’ve done.”
Musk’s idea was criticized on the “Wall Street Silver” account, which wrote, “This is a big mistake. The block is one of the most essential parts of this app. The number of minutes that people regretted would go through the roof. Users don’t want bad people to follow them or talk to them. Swindlers, cyberstalkers, and so on.”
He said, “I think many people would stop using X if they couldn’t get rid of the annoying accounts.”
David Leavitt, a liberal writer, also said the idea was terrible. He posted, “Imagine not being able to understand why you’d want to block someone. @elonmusk is actively destroying this site bit by bit.”
Mehdi Hasan, an MSNBC host who has been very critical of Musk, said he was making another wrong choice with his social media site. “Bring back the Nazis,” he wrote. Let them get checked out. Next to them, put ads. And take away the Block option. How could something go wrong?
Ashley St. Clair, a conservative advocate, said, “If the block function is taken away, there should be no more privacy on X., But as far as I know, Elon thinks anonymous accounts are helpful. If we can’t stop people from stalking, bullying, and making threats, we should take away their secrecy so the law can punish them.
David Weissman, a well-known anti-Trump user, also didn’t like the change. He wrote, “I stop anti-Semites and a mentally ill, obsessed stalker who has doxxed me, harassed me, and taken advantage of my children. But Elon Musk thinks it’s fine to let these people back into your house.”
In response to the claim that “muting” is the same as “blocking,” the protester said, “All “muting” does is keep me from seeing what other people post. They are welcome to answer.”
