One common reason to block someone on social media or messaging apps is to uphold personal boundaries or steer clear of awkward situations.
Nevertheless, depending on the platform and its characteristics, the answer to the question of whether the person being blocked will know about it differs.
Different Platforms, Different Outcomes
When you block someone on Facebook, they won’t receive a notification about the block. However, they might notice changes such as:
- Inability to Find You: The person won’t find you in searches or be able to visit your profile.
- Messages and Calls: Any messages or calls they try to send won’t reach you. They won’t be notified that their messages weren’t delivered.
WhatsApp works similarly. When you block someone on WhatsApp:
- Messages and calls: They won’t receive a notification that they’ve been blocked. However, their messages won’t be delivered, and they won’t see your “Last Seen” or profile updates.
On Instagram, when you block someone:
- Profile Visibility: They won’t be able to view your profile or posts. Any likes or comments they made on your posts will disappear, but they won’t be informed about the block.
Conclusion
When you block someone on a social networking platform, they usually don’t get a direct indication of it.
Rather, they may see altered ways in which they communicate with you, like not being able to access your updates, send messages, or check your profile.
Restricting someone’s access to and interactions with your profile without alerting them to the block is the goal of blocking someone.
Blocks are handled differently by each platform, but in general, the blocker’s privacy and boundaries are maintained because the banned individual isn’t explicitly notified.