If you're in a marginalised community then the objectional content comes to you and can't be avoided. We simply aren't provided with the tools to block this.
There is a fundamental asymmetry in harassment.
My account is important to me; I don't want to abandon it or give it up. If my account is under attack I cannot continue to use the site as I would like.
The accounts used for harassment are either disposable and it doesn't matter to the harasser whether they get blocked or banned. And non-disposable harassing accounts that get blocked can either just move onto the next target or continue to direct the harassment through screenshots etc which encourage the disposable accounts to do the dirty work.
The cost to the victim can be meaningful, but the cost to the harasser is non-existant.
And this isn't just applicable to concerted harassment campaigns.
There is also a lot of "drive-by" harassment from accounts who will just reply to any black/trans/queer/woman who posts online.
There is a fundamental asymmetry in harassment.
My account is important to me; I don't want to abandon it or give it up. If my account is under attack I cannot continue to use the site as I would like.
The accounts used for harassment are either disposable and it doesn't matter to the harasser whether they get blocked or banned. And non-disposable harassing accounts that get blocked can either just move onto the next target or continue to direct the harassment through screenshots etc which encourage the disposable accounts to do the dirty work.
The cost to the victim can be meaningful, but the cost to the harasser is non-existant.
And this isn't just applicable to concerted harassment campaigns. There is also a lot of "drive-by" harassment from accounts who will just reply to any black/trans/queer/woman who posts online.