You dont HAVE to ignore the person if you dont like blinky avatars.

You COULD choose to not show ANYBODY's avatar, by deselecting "show avatars" in EDIT PROFILE.

But then, you see no avatars, blinky or plain.

I wonder if a blinky avatar uses more battery? That might be a reason to avoid them, idk.

Plus people might have eye issues. Esp us old f-harts. We already see blinky stuff where there isnt really intentionally any. Its like when a phone rings or a siren sounds on tv - thats realism we dont need!