Blocking someone on Facebook is a way to restrict their ability to see your profile, contact you, or interact with your content on Facebook. When you block someone, it helps give you more control over your Facebook experience.
Blocking is different from unfriending someone, which simply removes them from your friends list. When you block someone, they won’t be able to find or contact you on Facebook at all.
If you’re wondering what blocking looks like from the perspective of the person who gets blocked, this guide will explain the effects and what someone sees when you block them on Facebook.
What does the blocked person see?
When you block someone on Facebook, it limits their ability to see your profile or posts, contact you, start conversations, add you as a friend, or interact with you in other ways on Facebook.
Here’s an overview of what someone sees when they are blocked by you:
Your profile and posts
– They won’t be able to see your profile or any of your posts (even public posts). Your profile picture and cover photo will be hidden.
– Any posts you’ve made in groups and events won’t show up for them.
– They won’t get notifications about your activities or be able to keep tabs on you through News Feed.
Messaging
– They can’t send you a friend request or message you on Facebook.
– Previous conversations you’ve had together will disappear from their inbox.
– You won’t receive any new messages from them.
Friends list and tags
– They will be removed from your friends list if they were previously added.
– You won’t show up as a friend suggestion or in their “People You May Know” list.
– They won’t be able to tag you in posts, photos, or other content.
Groups
– They won’t see any posts you’ve made in groups, even if the groups are public.
– You’ll both still be members of any shared groups, but won’t see each other’s posts or activities.
– They won’t be able to interact with you at all within group spaces.
Events
– They won’t see posts you’ve made about events.
– You’ll both still appear on the guest list of any shared events, but interaction will be limited.
Pages
– If you’ve blocked them from your Facebook page as a page admin, they won’t be able to view, comment on, or interact with your page.
– As a regular user, you can also hide individual posts on pages so they won’t be visible to someone you’ve blocked.
What the blocked person can still do
While blocking prevents a lot of unwanted interaction, there are some limited things a blocked person can still do:
– They can still see mutual friends’ posts and activities.
– They will remain friends with your friends and be able to interact normally with them.
– They can still mention you in posts by tagging your name, but the tag won’t link anywhere and you won’t be notified.
– In groups, they can see that you’re a member even if your posts are hidden.
– They can still report your profile or posts even if they can’t see them.
So blocking doesn’t completely eliminate their access to you or presence on Facebook, but it does minimize the direct interaction and visibility quite a bit.
How can you tell if you’ve been blocked by someone?
If you’re wondering whether someone has blocked you on Facebook, here are some signs to look for:
– Their profile and timeline don’t show up in search results.
– Old messages between you suddenly disappear.
– You can’t start a new conversation or send a friend request.
– You don’t see their posts or activities in News Feed.
– They disappear from your friends list.
– You disappear from their friends list or can’t access their full friends list.
– Attempts to tag them get rejected immediately.
– You get error messages if you try to do something that requires interacting with their profile.
If you’re seeing a combination of those occurrences, chances are you’ve been blocked from their account and they took steps to limit your ability to see and contact them.
Why people block on Facebook
There are a few common reasons why someone might make the choice to block you specifically on Facebook:
– To cut off contact during or after a breakup.
– An argument or disagreement made them want to avoid you.
– You posted political, religious, or social opinions they strongly disagreed with.
– You said something offensive or hurtful.
– You weren’t respecting their privacy or space.
– They wanted to take a break from social media and limit distractions.
– You had a friendship breakup or they no longer wanted to be friends.
– To prevent bullying, harassment, or stalking behaviors.
– They suspected your account was fake or untrustworthy.
Essentially, blocking allows someone to take control over their space and curate who can interact with them or see their content. If someone blocked you, it’s usually nothing personal, just their way of creating boundaries online.
Should you block them back?
If you notice you’ve been blocked by someone on Facebook, you might wonder if you should block them back. Here are some things to consider:
– **Think about your safety.** If they were harassing you or making you feel unsafe, blocking them back can be a way to prevent further contact.
– **Evaluate if more conflict could ensue.** If it’s someone you have regular contact with in real life, blocking them could escalate tensions.
– **Consider whether ignoring them makes more sense.** Since they already can’t interact with you, blocking back may be unnecessary.
– **Decide if you need space.** If they hurt your feelings or violated your trust, blocking them could help you move on.
– **Don’t block in anger.** Give yourself some time to calm down before deciding, so you don’t make an impulsive decision.
– **Determine if you might want future contact.** If there’s a chance you’ll reconnect down the line, keeping them unblocked leaves the door open.
Overall, blocking back is a personal decision that depends on your unique situation. If you’re dealing with harassment though, blocking is almost always a smart self-protection strategy.
What happens when you unblock someone?
If you change your mind later and decide to unblock someone on Facebook, here’s what happens:
– Your profile, posts, and activities will become visible to them again.
– You’ll show up as a friend suggestion and in their “People You May Know” list.
– They’ll be able to message you or send a new friend request.
– Previous messages between you will reappear.
– You’ll both see each other’s posts in groups and events you joined.
– You’ll be searchable by name again so they can access your profile.
– Any tags they add will now link to your profile again.
– They can comment on and interact with your public posts again.
– You’ll recieve notifications when they tag you, message you, or interact with your stuff.
Essentially, unblocking undoes all the restrictions that blocking put in place. It gives them access to view your profile and contact you again as if they had never been blocked in the first place.
Other blocking options
In addition to blocking individual users, Facebook provides a few other blocking tools:
Block event invitees
As a host or admin of an event page, you can block specific invitees from posting on the event wall or interacting with the event. They’ll remain invited, but have limited participation.
Block Facebook page visitors
Page owners can block specific people from posting on or interacting with their Facebook pages. Admins can also hide individual posts from people they’ve blocked.
Block app invites
You can block invites from a specific app so you don’t receive notifications or requests from that app in the future.
Block messages with certain words
This automatically filters out messages containing offensive or abusive language before you receive them. You can customize the words and phrases that get blocked.
Restrict someone to message requests
This lets you avoid receiving messages from someone while still keeping them on your friends list. Their messages will go to your message requests filtered inbox unless you approve them.
Conclusion
Blocking on Facebook is a personalized tool everyone can use to curate their ideal social media experience. Now you know exactly how blocking works and what someone will see if you block them.
While blocking can seem relationship-ending, in many cases it’s just someone’s way of creating healthy boundaries online. With the right insights, you can make informed decisions about when blocking makes sense for your situation.