How to Know if Someone Blocked You on Instagram

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I am from the time of Orkut, the Google social network that was a craze in Brazil. Shortly after, Facebook came along. It was there that not only an area to connect friends and share moments emerged, but also an ecosystem for various businesses. Over time, Facebook’s hair started turning gray, and its reign was taken over by Instagram.

Migrating to Instagram became a natural move, no matter what your professional field is. However, there may come a moment when you start to suspect that someone has blocked you from accessing a certain profile.

Blocking is a common feature on Instagram, allowing users to completely restrict another person’s access to their profile and content. However, the platform does not notify you when you’re blocked, which can lead to doubts. Fortunately, there are signs that can clarify the situation. How?

1. Search for the person’s username in the Instagram search bar:

  • Open the Instagram app and tap the search icon.
  • Type the username of the person you suspect has blocked you.
  • If their profile doesn’t appear in the search results, it’s possible you’ve been blocked. However, this could also mean they’ve deactivated their account or changed their username.
  • For public profiles, not finding their account can be a strong indicator of being blocked.

2. Check previous conversations in case you’ve already interacted with the person via direct messages:

  • Go to your Direct Messages (DMs) and find the chat with the person.
  • Tap on the conversation.
  • If you can still see the chat history but cannot access their profile by tapping their username, you may have been blocked.
  • If their profile picture is missing or replaced with a generic icon, this is another red flag.

3. Attempt to follow them in situations where you can still access their profile (e.g., through tags or shared content):

  • Visit their profile and check if there is an option to follow them.
  • If you see a button labeled “Follow” but it doesn’t change to “Following” after tapping, this likely indicates you’ve been blocked.
  • Alternatively, if the profile says “User Not Found,” it’s either deactivated or blocked.

4. Check their posts and stories

  • Look for posts where they’ve been tagged or where mutual friends might have interacted with them.
  • If their tagged photos or mentions have disappeared, this can suggest you’ve been blocked.
  • If their stories are no longer visible to you while others can still see them, this is a strong sign.

5. Use a secondary account or ask a friend to confirm their profile visibility:

  • Log in with a secondary account or create a new one.
  • Ask a trusted friend to search for their account.
  • If the account is visible to others but not to you, then you’ve likely been blocked.

So you may be wondering: Why am I blocked? Well, understanding why someone blocks you can provide clarity and help you avoid similar situations in the future. Here are common reasons people block others on Instagram:

  • Personal Disputes: Arguments or disagreements can lead to blocking as a way to create space.
  • Spam-Like Behavior: Excessive tagging, messaging, or commenting can be perceived as intrusive.
  • Privacy Concerns: People often block to protect their personal lives from strangers or unwanted followers.
  • Content Preferences: If your content doesn’t align with their preferences, they might block to curate their feed.

Being blocked isn’t the end of the world, and there are ways to move forward:

1. Respect Their Decision. Understand that blocking is a personal choice. Respect their boundaries and avoid attempting to bypass the block using fake accounts.

2. Reflect on Your Interactions. Think about your recent interactions with the person. Could there have been misunderstandings or conflicts? Use this as an opportunity to grow.

3. Reach Out Through Alternative Channels (If Appropriate). If the relationship is important to you, consider reaching out respectfully through other platforms to clarify any issues. Avoid confrontation.

4. Focus on Positive Connections. Social media is vast, and there are countless meaningful connections to foster. Focus on those who appreciate your presence and content.

Remember, being blocked isn’t always personal, and respecting others’ decisions is key to maintaining healthy digital interactions. Focus on building positive relationships and ensuring your online behavior aligns with your values.

After all, as Richard Branson would say, business opportunities are like buses. There’s always another one coming.

The end of calligraphy

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I don’t know the last time I wrote or received a handwritten letter. Except for the occasional message or short list I scribble down to remind myself of what to do, the computer has replaced that habit.

However, I still receive postcards from time to time, especially during the holidays and at the end of the year. It’s often at these times that you can tell if the sender has a flair for design.

I know my handwriting isn’t the best, but it bothers me when I see a message written with crooked lines. It’s as if a messy, untidy handwriting would give a false representation of who we are.

In The Swerve, Stephen Greenblatt tells the story of the humanist Poggio Bracciolini (1380–1459), a hunter of ancient scrolls that had been kept for centuries in the monasteries of Europe.

With the decline of the Roman Empire, it fell to the monks, who were tasked with reading, preserving, and copying texts that had kept the ideas of the ancient world alive for generations.

Poggio copied several of these texts. He discovered and reintroduced Lucretius’s ancient poem De rerum natura to the world. With his beautiful handwriting, he became one of the precursors of modern graphic design.

It is fascinating to see that, at a time when Gutenberg’s printing press was just beginning to emerge, someone managed to create a font so legible and unlike anything known until then.

Poggio Bracciolini created space between words and developed a cursive, rounded font (1) that gave rise to what we know today as italics.

The guy even took the trouble to make holes in the margins (2) so the pages would stay firmly in place and not slide while he wrote. Additionally, he created 26 very thin lines per page, ensuring that the space between the lines of text, perfectly aligned to the left, would be the same (3).

Of course, today’s environment is different. But I wonder if, in the digital world we live in, handwriting will disappear forever. I even wonder if our signature will one day become binary code.

But most of all, I am frightened when I imagine that my shopping list, which I wrote by hand this morning, will be rediscovered in five hundred years by a humanist android.

Photo: Reproduction of the Poggio manuscript, Laurentian Library, Florence.
Source: “The Swerve” by Stephen Greenblatt

Be different!

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In 1933, German psychologist Hedwig Von Restorff conducted a simple yet groundbreaking experiment on human memory. She presented participants with a list of words that were all categorized similarly, except for one word that was completely different.

For example, the list could include words like “cat,” “dog,” “lion,” and “tiger” (all related to animals), with the word “conduit” (out of context for animals) inserted. After the list was shown, participants were asked to recall as many words as possible.

This phenomenon came to be known as the Von Restorff effect, which revealed that isolated items stand out in memory due to their uniqueness.

Naturally, businesses have leveraged this effect to create more impactful advertising campaigns. A commercial or ad that breaks away from the typical visual or narrative patterns of conventional media can be more effective in grabbing attention and being remembered. For instance, an ad may feature an unusual element or an unexpected image associated with a product to ensure it stands out in the consumer’s mind.

In design, highlighting certain visual elements can make an item more memorable. This is commonly used in user interfaces and website design, where key elements are emphasized to capture the user’s attention.

In a world saturated with information, uniqueness has become a powerful tool to attract attention and improve customer retention, whether for products, brands, or ideas.

Does a blank sheet of paper mean nothing?

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The American John Cage (1912-1992) was a composer who is probably known for just one work: 4’33”. It is an experimental piece that can be performed by any instrument and, even better, by any person.

The score instructs the performer to NOT play their instrument for exactly four minutes and thirty-three seconds, because the “music,” in this case, consists of the ambient sounds that the audience hears during the performance.

In short, a very simple little piece of music.

But, no matter how much this might seem like pure nonsense (I, for instance, wouldn’t pay to attend such a concert, since I could play it for free on the piano here at home), there is an interesting question to analyze not by what it is, but by what is around it.

Imagine a piece of paper with nothing written or drawn on it. Just a blank space.

This empty area actually has the same importance as the written or drawn elements on it. It is this separation of background and elements, as well as sound and silence, that explains the dependence our perception has on the surrounding environment.

Take, for example, the classic image of the two heads facing each other.

Or am I seeing a white vase? In any case, both options are valid. Figure and background have the same importance.

Similarly, we can say that size and brightness are also relative. Look at the figure below and say without thinking: are the shades of gray in the central square of these two figures the same?

They are. The simultaneous contrast of the surrounding squares is what ends up deceiving our eyes.

And what about the diameter of the central dots in the two illustrations—are they the same?

Yes, they are. The small and large dots around them, when seen side by side, create this perception.

So, now that we know that there is no such thing as “nothing” and that even the illusory emptiness of a blank page has its function in design, I had an idea: I’m going to write a book with only blank pages.

Preferably one where the reader can read for exactly four minutes and thirty-three seconds.

How to get a “yes!”

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I once heard about a guy who went to a rock concert. When he was leaving, he saw a huge line to pay for parking. Instead of waiting, he approached two big guys who were almost at the front of the line and asked them:

“Can I skip ahead? It´s because I really hate waiting in lines.”

To his surprise, they said yes. The simple fact that he gave a reason, even if it was completely absurd, worked in his favor and let him cut in line.

This highlights a principle that marketing professionals have known for a long time: giving a reason when asking for something can make a big difference.

I often say that the customer isn’t king; the customer is a partner. If they have a problem and you have the solution, it’s a perfect match: they buy your product or service, you get paid, and everyone’s happy.

But sometimes, customers hesitate, delay, or avoid payment altogether. This can be especially tricky when the relationship isn’t contractual.

Take designers, for instance. They often provide services without any formal safeguards, but neither you nor I are a bank.

For two months, I had to keep reminding a client to pay for a small project I had completed and delivered. It wasn’t a large amount, but it was a real hassle to get paid.

Finally, one day, I wrote to her and explained why I was asking for the payment. Miraculously, the money appeared in my account shortly after.

Of course, not everything works out this perfectly every time. But generally speaking, there’s no need to shout or throw a tantrum. Sometimes, all it takes is a brief explanation—no matter how unusual it may seem—to get what we want.

And now, since you’ve read this far, could you please do me a favor? Comment on this post.

It´s because I really hate waiting in lines.