Soft Block
what it means
A quiet way to remove someone from your audience. They can follow again if they notice, but most people never do.
Blocking then immediately unblocking someone, which removes them as a follower without them being notified.
the origin story
A Twitter and Instagram technique that became widely known around 2018-2019.
It exists because platforms offer no polite "remove follower" option on most accounts, so users engineered one from the tools available. It's a small but clear example of social norms outpacing platform design.
in the wild
How do I get rid of a follower without drama?
Soft block. Block, then unblock.
I'm not following her any more and I didn't unfollow.
You've been soft blocked.
how to use it
- Describing the follower-removal technique
- Discussing platform social norms
- Casual conversation
- Professionally
- Where a direct conversation would be better
- On platforms where it doesn't work that way
related terms
receipts
Community feedback
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