Marcus never unblocked her. But somewhere along the way, Emma stopped checking.
But it wasn’t just LinkedIn. It was the fantasy of recognition. The belief that if she just engaged enough, shared enough, showed up enough, someone important would notice and pluck her from obscurity. Marcus wasn’t a person anymore. He was a gate. And the gate had locked. blocked on linkedin
“I got blocked by someone I really admired today. It stung more than I want to admit. I think I forgot that LinkedIn isn’t a networking cheat code—it’s just people. And people can feel performed to, commented at, or used. I’m not sharing this for sympathy. I’m sharing it because I’ve been treating professional relationships like transactions, and that’s not who I want to be. If you’ve ever been blocked, ignored, or left on read—you’re not alone. And maybe, like me, it’s a sign to stop chasing and start actually connecting.” Marcus never unblocked her
And for the first time in months, she didn’t draft a single follow-up message in her head. She just wrote back: “I’d love that. Tuesday?” It was the fantasy of recognition