A new online movement, called #Blockout2024, has emerged in response to Israel’s war on Gaza. The campaign, which gained momentum after the Met Gala on May 6, encourages people to block these celebrities on social media platforms like Instagram, X, and TikTok. Drawing comparisons to the French Revolution, the movement aims to hold celebrities accountable for their actions. But does blocking a celebrity actually affect them, and is the campaign making a difference? Let’s dive in.

What is Blockout 2024?

Blockout 2024 boycotts celebrities for their silence or alleged support regarding Israel’s conflict with Gaza. Users on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and X are sharing lists of these celebrities and their businesses to encourage blocking. The goal is to decrease celebrities’ earnings from social media ads.

Why was the Met Gala 2024 controversial?

The Blockout movement was triggered by this year’s Met Gala, held in New York on May 6. Social media users were dismayed by photos of extravagantly dressed celebrities from the event. They highlighted that some of these celebrities had never spoken out or acknowledged the ongoing conflict in Gaza, where Israel’s airstrikes have claimed over 35,000 lives, predominantly women and children.

What’s the significance of the ‘let them eat cake’ moment?

On May 7, TikTok influencer Haley Kalil faced backlash for lip-syncing “let them eat cake” outside the Met Gala. With 9.9 million followers on her TikTok account @haleyybaylee, she sparked outrage for using the phrase amid Gaza’s starvation crisis. The incident fueled comparisons to the French Revolution, with some dubbing the Blockout movement the “digitine.” Kalil later apologized on May 10, clarifying her lack of a formal Met Gala invitation and her role as a host with E! News.

How does blocking a celebrity impact them?

Besides Haley Kalil, other celebrities on the blocklists include Gal Gadot, Kim Kardashian, Zendaya, Noah Schnapp, Taylor Swift, and Harry Styles. When someone unfollows a celebrity, they stop seeing their posts in their feed, but the content can still appear indirectly through search or algorithm-driven feeds. However, blocking a celebrity completely cuts off interaction with their content, reducing their audience size and causing social media algorithms to deprioritize their posts. This decrease in visibility can lead advertisers to see the celebrity as less valuable, potentially reducing their ad revenue.

What has been the public reaction to the Blockout movement?

While many support the Blockout movement on social media, some criticize it as performative activism. There are concerns that the movement’s posts are diverting attention from updates and fundraisers for Palestine and Gaza by flooding social media platforms.

Has Blockout 2024 shown any notable impact yet?

Since the Blockout movement began recently, the exact number of blocked accounts isn’t visible, but celebrities are already experiencing a decline in followers. Taylor Swift, for instance, lost approximately 300,000 TikTok followers and 50,000 Instagram followers in the past week. Users believe that withdrawing attention from celebrities diminishes their influence.