A very simple guide to finding out who's blocked you on social media.

Remember back in the day when cutting someone out of your life meant screening their calls or dodging them in public?

These days the ultimate snub tactic you can wield against a foe is to block them on social media, to deprive them of the sacrosanct privilege that is access to your Facebook/Instagram/Snapchat feed.

When you’re on the receiving end, it’s not always obvious straight away. With the exception of Twitter, the social media networks don’t alert you when you’ve been blocked.

So how can you tell who’s given you the digital cold shoulder without downloading/paying for a third-party app?

How to tell who’s blocked you on Instagram.

If someone you follow on Instagram has gone quiet – suspiciously quiet – click on the ‘Discover’ tab on the app and enter their name.

If their profile is public and they’ve blocked you, you’ll see “No Posts Yet” where their photos used to be, plus a blue “follow” icon. SPOILER: don’t click it; it won’t work.

For a private account, you’ll need to stalk a mutual follower’s feed. Find a post where the suspected blocker has liked or commented and tap on their name. If you’re met with that un-clickable “follow” button, then yes, you’ve been blocked.

How to tell who’s blocked you on Facebook.

The first step to tell if someone has blocked you on Facebook is to try typing their name into the app’s/website’s search field. If it doesn’t appear, it’s probably bad news.

Still it’s important to note they could have simply changed their profile name or deleted their account. The most effective way to suss this out is look at your chat history with them. Find a previous conversation. If their name appears but doesn’t link through to their profile, you’ve been blocked.

Same goes for tags on photos. Find a picture in which you’re both tagged, and if their isn’t hyperlinked, then it’s likely you’ve been blocked.

Still hopeful? Just like with Instagram, ask a mutual friend to check if the person’s profile is still active.

How to tell who’s blocked you on Snapchat.

Much like Facebook and Instagram, the easiest way to find out who’s blocked you on Snapchat is to search their name within the app.

Even if they’ve simply deleted you from their friends list, their name should still appear. If it doesn’t, all signs point to blocked.

To confirm they haven’t deactivated their account altogether, you have two options: search for them using a friend’s account, or – if you’re so inclined – create a brand new account and do it yourself.

You could. But why spend all that time on the haters?