Blocking keeps my feed nice. See people being assholes? Block them. See a post discussing something I don’t want to hear about? Block them. See a community I don’t want to hear about? Block them. The greatest thing about social media is the ability to never have to interact with someone again at no detriment to them. Blocking is good.
I agree with your sentiment and I have definitely grown and my opinions have changed from the influence of people I have “met” online over the decades. However, none of the people who influenced me in positive ways were trolls, jerks, or snarky smart-asses. I really don’t think anything is lost if you block a lot of those type of people. I actually think something is gained. The amount of time and energy we are allotted to spend in this life are precious.