Let’s take a minute to recall the number of times we’ve blocked or have threatened to block some individuals. Is a minute not good enough to do the math? Well, we thought so. New age romances seem to almost be incomplete without there being a feud that brings out the “Watch how I cut you out from every digital avenue!” attitude. If you haven’t got the memo – it’s the Gen-Y replacement for, “It’s over, and I mean it.”
Nothing says you’re done with his bullshit, like breaking contact with him over WhatsApp, and every other social media platform that you might be “friends” on. But does that really do the trick? Can blocking him from viewing your status updates, and Insta feed actually help you get him out of your heart and brain? Umm. Of course, not!
The game of “I’m blocking you!” among youngsters in love, seems more like a power struggle and a tryst with one’s own ego. The one who shuts the other out first is the clear winner – feeling somewhat vindicated that they had the ability to mete out this “punishment” to the other person. Back in the day, it was “Get out of my house!” now, it’s “Get out of my inbox!”. So you see, everything is going digital, including the technique of breaking up.
If it hasn’t happened to you, there’s a good chance you’ve overheard a lovers’ spat, or one side of the story from a friend, where she claims, “Ya, I blocked him!” If you’re accustomed to the drill, you know what follows. Most people who are into this whole ‘blocking’ scene, are also the ones who find the compelling need to ‘unblock’ the person, once their anger simmers down. And mind you, that too, has a few steps. After blocking, there’s the complaining– telling close friends how they’re “so done”, followed by a surge of “But I need to have the last word, and I haven’t said enough.” That obviously leads to unblocking and then transitions into a zone where the accused does everything possible to redeem themselves and stay unblocked. No prizes for guessing how that works out most of the time.
If you’re part of the blocking/unblocking bandwagon, or know someone who is, here are some reasons why your master plan could quite possibly be backfiring. Take note!
He won’t take you seriously
After a point, he’s going to recognise the pattern you’ve created, of blocking him only so he compensates by giving you more attention. The routine will become stale, and the fear of actually losing you, that you try to instill every time, will be lost!
It’s immature
If you and your partner are having issues – communicate! Even if that means that you’ll agree to disagree and end up parting ways. It’s never okay to just cut the other person out, only so they plead with you and stroke your ego. If you do decide to block them for serious reasons, make sure you stick to it and not just do it for effect.
You come across as confused and indecisive
When you do something with so much gusto, only to give in after a few hours after he talks you out of it – you’re doing nothing but making yourself look like an indecisive person, who is totally confused as to what she wants in life. In return, your self-respect may take a hit, and that’s never cool!
