My Take on Dealing With Unwanted Online Content
Alright, so today I figured I’d share a bit about something I was messing with. You know how the internet is, a real mixed bag. Sometimes you stumble across stuff, or things pop up, that you just flat out don’t want to see. It’s not always helpful, and honestly, sometimes it’s just junk. So, I decided to have a bit of a “practice session” on how to get a better handle on this.
The thing that got me started was thinking about certain search terms and images that are, let’s be honest, pretty pointless and often just problematic. Stuff like, you know, when you hear about phrases such as “big boobs photos” floating around. Yeah, not exactly what I’m looking to engage with, and definitely not something I want accidentally appearing on my screen or for others, if I can help it.
So, my practice for the day was all about trying to manage this kind of thing. First off, I dove into the settings. Most of the tools we use daily – browsers, search engines, even some apps – they usually have some kind of content filtering or safe search option. Finding them can be a bit of a treasure hunt sometimes, buried under layers of menus. That was step one: just locating these controls.
Then came the actual doing part. I started playing around with adding specific keywords to block lists. It’s a bit like whack-a-mole, to be fair. You block one phrase, and then you realize there are a dozen other ways people could type something similar. So, I spent a good chunk of time thinking about variations and trying to be as thorough as I could. It’s not just about the obvious terms, but also the stuff that’s kinda related, you know?
- Checked browser settings for built-in filters.
- Looked at search engine preferences for ‘SafeSearch’ type options.
- Explored adding keywords to custom blocklists.
I also took a peek at some browser extensions. There are quite a few out there that say they can help with more aggressive content filtering. I picked one that looked decent and installed it to see how it worked. Tinkered with its settings too. Some are super strict and can end up blocking things you don’t mean to block, so it’s about finding a setting that works for you without making the internet totally unusable for legit stuff.
Honestly, it’s not a perfect system. And it feels like a bit of an ongoing task, because new terms and new ways to get around filters are always popping up. But that was my little project, my “practice” for the day. Just trying to make my corner of the internet a bit cleaner and safer. It’s a small thing, but I guess every little bit helps, right? You just gotta keep at it.
