There are other reasons to block as well. Simply just being an asshole is not a viewpoint I think anyone should be paying attention to.

There are other reasons to block people than to hide differing viewpoints.

It does actually make a difference. Especially on a small platform like Lemmy. I’d say that around 50% of the time that I see a blocked user make a comment and I log out to read it, it just confirms that blocking them was the right choice.

In my case, most users I’ve blocked were for shitty behavior. I have zero tolerance for that. If someone speaks to me or others in a way they wouldn’t dare to in real life, I block them instantly. I don’t mind disagreements or different opinions, but I won’t waste time with mean or nasty people.

The second most common reason is shallow, one-sentence replies only meant to fish for upvotes without adding value to the discussion. Jokes are fine, but if you’re just echoing what’s popular for applause, you’re gone. Nothing wrong with that per-se, but I’m more interested in serious conversations.

Lastly, there are petty reasons. For example, overused phrases like ‘fuck around and find out’ will get you blocked too.

Could as well be suggesting me to leave the internet. 95% of my time spent online I’m watching YouTube videos.

Blocking ads seems like the more viable option.

Free will, the sense, that you could have done otherwise, is an illusion.

We make choices based on either what we have to do, or what we want to do. There’s no freedom in having to do something, but you’re also not free to choose your wants. If you felt like having tea this morning instead of coffee, then having tea is the only thing you could have done. You wanted tea, not coffee. Now, if we rewind the clock back in time to the moment before you decided, you’d pick tea again, and again, and again. Everything else being the same, your desire for tea will override the desire for coffee every time. And you didn’t choose that desire.