Blockout 2024: Why netizens are blocking celebrities?
The world’s A-list celebrities descended on the red carpet of the Met Gala in their fanciest garden-themed outfits. But this year’s red carpet has sparked heavy discourse on social media for different reasons. Amidst the glitz and glamour, netizens are up in arms over how a whole host of inferential people could turn a blind eye to the ongoing war and humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
A new online movement dubbed “Blockout 2024” has emerged.
So what is the “Blockout 2024”?
A global online movement known as “Blockout 2024” was launched by internet users to boycott several well-known figures and influencers for their diplomatic silence regarding the atrocities occurring in the Israel-Gaza conflict.
This campaign demands that social media accounts belonging to these celebrities (as well as their companies) be reported, blocked, or muted. The intention is to affect the income that these influencers and celebrities receive from digital ads and overall post engagement.
But what is the reason behind it?
Their objective is to reduce the earrings celebrities make through advertisements on social media. By doing so, they hope celebrities would be pressured to use their influence to try to stop the violence in Gaza.
The user behind the account “blockout 2024” on TikTok described the purpose of this movement in a video. “You have the potential to make a significant impact on our world when you have millions of followers who view your content daily,” they said. It’s also a little shallow to blatantly refuse to do that in favor of self-serving product promotion.
They declared in a different video that “we have complete control over news organizations’, celebrities’, and artists’ earnings.” They profit from our hatred as well as our admiration. When we block them and forget their names, they don’t profit.
Taylor Swift, Kim Kardashian, Harry Styles, Ariana Grande, Beyonce, Robert Downey Jr., Priyanka Chopra, Nick Jonas, Virat Kohli, Justin and Hailey Bieber, Zendaya, and Nicole Kidman are a few of the celebrities whose names are allegedly blocked.
Why did the Blockout 2024 blow up?
The popularity of the Blockout 2024 was fueled by angry reactions to a video posted by Tik-tok influencer Haley Kalil, who posted a video on the platform, lip-syncing, the words “Let them eat cake” outside the Met Gala.
These words were often attributed to Marie Antoinette, The Queen of France during the French Revolution. They refer to leaders far removed from people’s everyday struggles such that they would suggest that people eat cake when they do not even have bread.
After Kalil’s removal of this tone-deaf video, she apologized on social media, claiming she didn’t know enough about the topic to be an informed speaker. which, as you can expect, didn’t help the situation.
How’s the Met Gala involved?
Following the Met Gala, online users began drawing attention to the fact that the celebrities strutting down the coveted carpet had not yet made a statement regarding the war that was still going on. Not to mention that thousands of Palestinians were forced to flee their homes when Israeli forces captured the Rafah Crossing at the same time as the Met Gala.
The removal of a video featuring TikTok influencer Haley Kalil lip-syncing the phrase “let them eat cake” outside the Met Gala is another factor contributing to the backlash against the Met Gala. These notorious remarks, which are commonly credited to Marie Antoinette, the French Revolution’s queen, imply that the affluent are unaware of what ordinary people go through in life.
Would the movement have a tangible impact on the ongoing crisis?
Does it matter if you block a celebrity who has millions of followers? Unfollowing them isn’t it preferable?
Some people on the internet think that simply unfollowing these influencers and celebrities isn’t enough of a protest tactic. The algorithmic formula used by social media will unintentionally display their content on your explore pages. This has an impact on the brand deals they land as well as the social media income of the influencer or celebrity.
Even though these celebrities are powerless to end the conflict, millions of people would be affected if they made a statement demanding a cease-fire or even just recognizing the atrocities occurring. It will create dialogue and increase consciousness. It will start a conversation about important issues.
As rational as logic may seem though there are very many examples where this has actually worked
-Stated by an expert from the US Media Outlet
How many celebrities are you “following” on Instagram, and what would be your response if asked?
20? 30? Perhaps even more?
There’s nothing wrong with living vicariously through the lives of celebrities; after all, their world is essentially our mood board as they attend prestigious events, dine at fine dining establishments, go on extravagant vacations, and dress to the nines. They are without a doubt among the most important individuals of our time. But with that kind of support also comes (an unsaid) obligation and a sense of responsibility to initiate conversations and raise awareness of the socioeconomic problems that plague people worldwide.
The ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict serves as an example.
Several A-list celebrities are not using their platforms to address the ongoing genocide, even though there have been instances of the entertainment industry coming together to support Gaza. This year, they wore red pins on the red carpet at the Oscars and signed an open letter urging President Biden to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. A great deal of internet users are quite upset about this. These celebrities have the rare opportunity to truly change the world because of their millions of devoted fans, but their refusal to take responsibility has infuriated everyone.
They are demanding that these celebrities be muted and blocked on social media sites like X, TikTok, and Instagram as a form of protest. The Met Gala that took place early this month served as the impetus for this campaign, which has been dubbed Blockout 2024.
Israel-Gaza War
The most recent Gaza conflict started on October 7, 2018, when Hamas launched an attack on southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people before evacuating over 250 hostages back to the Gaza Strip.
Israel began a heavy bombardment, ground invasion, and blockade of Gaza, during which, according to health officials in the territory controlled by Hamas, more than 35,000 Palestinians lost their lives. Out of the 2.2 million residents of the enclave, over 80% are now homeless and in danger of starvation.
With a few noteworthy exceptions like Macklemore and the Artists4Ceasefire collective, the majority of international celebrities and influencers have refrained from making public comments regarding the Gaza crisis.
Celebrities who got added to the “Blockout2024” list!
Bollywood Celebrities:
The Blockout2024 list, which aims to silence public figures on the Israel-Gaza conflict, has grown. Due to their alleged silence regarding the Gaza crisis:
- Alia Bhatt
- Priyanka Chopra
- Nick Jonas
- Virat Kohli
- Ranveer Singh
- Deepika Padukone, and
- Shah Rukh Khan
The ‘Blockout2024 List’ now includes Bollywood actors
Hollywood Celebrities:
Celebrities who have remained silent about the Gaza crisis have been called complicated. Nick Jonas, Priyanka’s spouse, was recently added to the list of celebrities, which also includes Taylor Swift, Beyoncé Drake, Harry Styles, Ariana Grande, and even Iron Man. Robert Downey Jr.
Who has lost followers?
Countless celebs have lost followers as part of Blockout 2024, with Socialblade reporting the following losses in the last 30 days:
- Lizzo (@lizzobeeating) – 128,730
- Oprah (@oprah) – 57,540
- Kylie Jenner (@kyliejenner) – 606,540
- Kendall Jenner (kendalljenner) – 460,830
- Selena Gomez (@selenagomez) – 1,067,790
- Kim Kardashian (@kimkardashian) – 857,700 — Blockout2024.org says this number has risen to over 3 million.
- James Charles (@jamescharles) – 102,180
- Jeffree Star (@jeffreestar) – 31,740
- Beyoncé (@beyonce) – 186,000+
- Billie Eilish (@billieeilish) – 137,000
The #Blockout2024 movement began on Tik-tok and has since spread across social media, with many users blocking celebrities they feel have shown little concern for the Palestinian people in the amidst of Israel’s ongoing conflict. Meanwhile, the list aims to block celebrities and their social media accounts. It includes a number of Hollywood heavyweights, reality TV stars, singers, and influencers.
