I found that things became much more pleasant on here when I blocked hexbear. I recently blocked lemmy.ml as well, but I may reverse that if I find that I’m missing too much good content.

I’m open to other ideas on how to mostly avoid people who love conflict or argue in bad faith.

  • mlfh@lemmy.ml
    674·
    2 months ago

    I blocked hexbear and lemmygrad to stop the firehose of kremlin/beijing propaganda cluttering up my feed and that made my lemmy experience worlds better. There’s only so many times you can read “special military operation” used unironically…

  • snooggums@midwest.socialEnglish
    479·
    2 months ago

    Lemmy.ml and hexbear were the first two I blocked and have zero regrets.

    I blocked a few others because the content didn’t interest me and my preference is to browse on All instead of Subscribed so I can find content in communities I did not know existed. For example I blocked lemmynsfw because I didn’t want the content to come up while browing in public.

    I wish there was an additional option to block all users of an instance separate from the instance block that applies to communities.

    • Zirconium@lemmy.world
      13·
      2 months ago

      Not to kinkshame/judge (while judging) but lemmynsfw is super weird. There’s like 50 celebrity or more communities all ran by one guy who uploads like one picture or 50 in a row. I just browse by all but the NSFW filter protects me from seeing a celebrity every 10th post.

      • Usually_Lurker@lemmy.worldEnglish
        4·
        2 months ago

        That’s why I run 2 different Lemmy apps. One for work and regular browsing. And a second one for those fun NSFW times.

    • SatyrSack@lemmy.one
      71·
      2 months ago

      I wish there was an additional option to block all users of an instance separate from the instance block that applies to communities.

      I have thought about that and wondered: how would child comments under a blocked user be handled? If I was on Instance_A and able to block Instance_B to no longer see comments from those users, what about the other Instance_A users (who have not blocked Instance_B) who reply to Instance_B comments on an Instance_A thread? Would I still see those Instance_A comments, and the Instance_B comments in the comment chain just appear blank or something? Or would the entire comment chain, starting at the Instance_B comment, just not get displayed to you at all?

    • shottymcb@lemm.ee
      73·
      2 months ago

      I just blocked individual hexbear and lemmygrad users that were annoying (posting pig anuses or dogpiling/gish galloping/whatabouting). Took a lot of blocking, but a few hundred blocks later later, most of the hexbears and tankies left are pretty chill. I don’t want to end up in a bubble and only hear opinions I already agree with. I think I did block one far right instance entirely, cause I don’t value the ideas of bigots and fascists. Can’t remember who it was though.

      • snooggums@midwest.socialEnglish
        612·
        2 months ago

        I don’t want to end up in a bubble and only hear opinions I already agree with. I think I did block one far right instance entirely, cause I don’t value the ideas of bigots and fascists.

        Hmmmmm

        Edit: Apparently tankie bullshit is fine!

        • glitchdx@lemmy.worldEnglish
          54·
          2 months ago

          If you’re on a road trip, and you can’t agree on a destination, then arguing about the route to get there is pointless.

          in this analogy, the “destination” in question is whether or not women/lgbt/blacks/jews/etc deserve rights. No point in discussing healthcare policy with someone who thinks women should be property and gays should be executed.

          • snooggums@midwest.socialEnglish
            72·
            2 months ago

            Yeah, tankie bullshit deserves to be heard because of an open mind, but not fascist bullshit.

            Both are bullshit and should be blocked.

            • glitchdx@lemmy.worldEnglish
              43·
              2 months ago

              well, it’s not the first time I’ve been called a communist for saying that people deserve rights.

    • thisbenzingring@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
      53·
      2 months ago

      I wish there was an additional option to block all users of an instance separate from the instance block that applies to communities.

      There is an option for that, its called Defederation

      • snooggums@midwest.socialEnglish
        101·
        2 months ago

        I want to block the users as a group even if the instance at which I am registered does not defederate.

        • huginn@feddit.it
          3·
          2 months ago

          Some apps let you do that. Sync, for example, let’s you block instances (users included) on the client side.

  • Admiral Patrick@dubvee.orgEnglish
    162·
    2 months ago

    I’ve blocked both of those (or rather, my instance doesn’t federate with them at all). At first I missed some of the FOSS communities on .ml but quickly found alternatives elsewhere. There were a few threads in either [email protected] or maybe [email protected] that discussed alternatives to some of those.

    I also block HilariousChaos since it’s a direct successor to Exploding Heads.

    Beyond that, I tend to only block the problematic ones that cater to hate speech/bigotry/etc. I think your home instance (LW) already blocks most of those as well.

    • finitebanjo@lemmy.world
      349·
      2 months ago

      You should block Hexbear because its just a broad daylight CCP advocate forum trying to incite political extremism and violence in English speaking countries.

      Lemmy ml isn’t all bad but they federate and align themselves closely with Hexbear.

      • NineMileTower@lemmy.world
        41·
        2 months ago

        I don’t know how to block a whole instance, but in reality I’ve only seen the communities that I’ve subscribed to and some other lame stuff… I’ve blocked all the shitty specific meme communities and web comics though. Call me a cynic.

        • thisbenzingring@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
          8·
          2 months ago

          Blocking an instance is a basic option in the web interface for lemmy in the blocks section of your settings. Its at the top. Blocking an instance does not block its users, it just blocks the communities from showing up in your all searches

          • Admiral Patrick@dubvee.orgEnglish
            3·
            2 months ago

            Yeah, at the API level, instance blocking is really just “block all communities from that instance”.

            I think some 3rd party UIs extend the behavior of instance blocking to also hide posts/comments from users of those instances, but I don’t think the default UI does.

  • neidu2@feddit.nl
    13·
    2 months ago

    Communities: Sports, places that are nowhere close to me or of interest, porn that is not for me, and games I don’t have any interest in.

    Instances: Lemmygrad and hexbear

    People: Not many. Spammers and low effort trolls mostly, and the occasional vatnik.

  • regrub@lemmy.world
    131·
    2 months ago

    I usually only block communities, like NoStupidQuestions. There are actually quite a few stupid questions that can be asked, it turns out.

    The only other instances I’ve blocked are HilariousChaos for all the spammy/unfunny communities they make and most of the foreign language instances.

  • itsathursday@lemmy.world
    132·
    2 months ago

    I’ve blocked so many communities I wouldn’t know which specifically and my client doesn’t show this info but basically any hentai or political ones.

    I have post and content filters and my lemmy experience is amazing. I omit anything containing: trump, elon, yiff

    • KestrelAlex@lemmy.world
      41·
      2 months ago

      I have a huge number of content filters, basically stopping just short of blocking the words “left” and “right” but trying to block everything else political.

      What I wish I could find a way to do is pick by post language - I have nothing against a user/community, I just don’t speak (usually) German.

  • GrayBackgroundMusic@lemm.eeEnglish
    187·
    2 months ago

    I don’t block hexbear or ml because I like seeing their takes. Even if I disagree with them most of the time, it makes me think about my opinion more critically.

    I do block certain communities and anyone who posts PPB.

    • demesisx@infosec.pubEnglish
      149·
      2 months ago

      Thanks for not putting blinders on. I was actually banned by hexbear for not being leftist enough but I still make it a point to seek out perspectives that differ from the censorship-happy tribalist hivemind on world. Communist leopards have yet to eat my face contrary to what the libs on world might have me believe. :)

    • MagicPterodactyl@lemmy.ml
      21·
      2 months ago

      I definitely agree with this. I signed up with ml just because it was a big instance and generally found it confusing when first setting up an account. So far I think it’s worked out because they have good up time and haven’t insulated themselves too much compared to a lot of instances that will defederate at the drop of a hat. Hexbear can be hard to read at times because many users can turn so hateful so quickly, but I do think their perspective can be at the very least interesting even when it is clearly misguided.

      I do strongly dislike that every large instance has formed its own stereotype and opinions are immediately dismissed if they are coming from an instance that is stereotyped as having ‘bad options’.

  • SirDerpy@lemmy.world
    2212·
    2 months ago

    Politics and News on .world. They seem to think that everyone that doesn’t agree wholeheartedly with whatever their politicians say is a fascist. They’re unable to discern left from right.

    It’s also neato how whenever I take issue with FlyingSquid or Roki, both mods, my posts are soon voted to exactly -10. Lazy coders.

    • Lifecoach5000@lemmy.worldEnglish
      61·
      2 months ago

      Are you saying when you disagree with one of said mods there’s some kind of downvote campaign for your posts for a certain amount of time?

      • Crashumbc@lemmy.worldEnglish
        31·
        2 months ago

        Sounds like it, squid acts an 80’s movie mall cop. So him having alt accounts to downvoted people wouldn’t surprise me. I banned him a few weeks ago. My feed immediately improved.

    • Crashumbc@lemmy.worldEnglish
      4·
      2 months ago

      The instance your are on may be blocking it?

      TBH, I spend way way too much time browsing all, and don’t see all that much.

      I will say it does tend to run in spurts, you’ll see like a dozen posts at once then none the rest of the day

      • HubertManne@moist.catsweat.com
        1·
        2 months ago

        I think it might be because I rarely get to the point where im on new all. I think my instance does not block much of anything or at least its statement implied such.

  • ContrarianTrail@lemm.eeEnglish
    101·
    2 months ago

    I haven’t blocked any instance per-se but I block every community that is either hexbear or .ml

    • YeetPics@mander.xyz
      121·
      2 months ago

      I used a three-strike rule when I first landed here. As in; deny a genocide or uplift an authoritarian despot 3x and your community can go fuck it’s own face.

      Took 2 weeks before I stopped seeing hexbear and .ml.

  • Carrolade@lemmy.worldEnglish
    146·
    2 months ago

    I don’t block any instances, though I am rather happy that .world decided to defederate with hexbear and .grad. I’m not so bothered by .ml, while they can be a little annoying sometimes, they’re at least usually able to carry on a semi-intelligent conversation. Usually anyway.

    • Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world
      92·
      2 months ago

      That might explain it then. Everybody’s talking about blocking hexbear, and I’ve never had any idea what they were talking about, but I’m on .world, so I guess it’s already blocked for me.

      • Zirconium@lemmy.world
        5·
        2 months ago

        I use world now instead of blahaj just cause I’m a weirdo. But hexbear was federated with blahaj and their users/admins are super irresponsible and rude and called a blahaj admin transphobic