Why TikTok users are blocking celebrities

As protests over the war in Gaza unfolded blocks away, last week's Met Gala was largely devoid of political statements on the red carpet. That the organizers of fashion's most powerful annual show (which cost $75,000 to enter this year) pulled this off was surprising to many observers. However, less than two weeks later, a rapidly growing online protest movement is taking shape. At least, it is on TikTok, the social media platform that sponsored the Met event.

Blockout 2024, also known as Operation Blockout or Celebrity Block Party, is aimed at high-profile figures who participants feel are not using their profiles and platforms to speak out about the war between Israel and Hamas and broader humanitarian crises. Here's what's happened so far, what fans hope to achieve, and why it all started.

How it began?

The criticism began on May 6, when Haley Kalil (@haleyybaylee on social media), an influencer who was a presenter on E! News ahead of the event posted a TikTok video of herself wearing a lavish floral dress and 18th-century-style headdress with audio from Sofia Coppola's 2006 film “Marie Antoinette,” in which Kirsten Dunst proclaims, “Let them eat cake!”

The clip (for which Kalil later apologized and was deleted) was widely viewed. Given the current global conflicts and humanitarian crises, critics described him as “tone deaf.” Then publications appeared comparing ostentatious outfits worn by celebrities on the Met red carpet to scenes from “The Hunger Games,” in which wealthy citizens in opulent attire win and dine while watching for sport the suffering of impoverished boroughs.

Images of Met Gala co-chair Zendaya spliced ​​with photographs of Palestinian children, incited the masses online. Soon a war cry arose from @ladyfromtheoutsidea TikTok creator who was inspired by Kalil's reprise of Marie Antoinette.

“It's time for people to carry out what I want to call a digital guillotine, a 'digital' one, if you will,” he said in a May 8 statement. video post with two million views. “It's time to block all the celebrities, influencers, and wealthy socialites who don't use their resources to help those who need it most. We gave them their platforms. “It’s time to take it back, take away our opinions, our likes, our comments, our money.”

“Blocklists” of celebrities thought to have deserved to be blocked were posted and widely shared online.

What do protesters want from social media?

The movement is made up of pro-Palestinian supporters who have been evaluating the actions and words of celebrities to decide whether they have responded appropriately to the conflict. If they haven't said anything or haven't said enough, the movement asks those who support Gaza to block that celebrity on social media. What constitutes sufficient action by a famous person (whether calls for a ceasefire, donations to help charities, or statements) seems unclear and can vary from celebrity to celebrity.

What's the point of blocking celebrities?

Supporters of “blocking” argue that blocking is important because brands analyze data on the followers and engagement of influencers and celebrities on social media before deciding whether to work with them to promote a product. Blocking someone on social media means you will no longer see any posts from that person's accounts and gives the blocker more control over who has access to their own updates and personal information. It can be more impactful than unfollowing a celebrity account because many product offerings thrive on targeted ads and views that can accrue even if a user simply views a post, without liking or sharing it.

If enough people block a content creator, they could reduce the creator's ability to make money. Furthermore, supporters of this thinking say: why follow someone whose values ​​do not align with yours?

Who are the key targets?

Attendees with large followings, such as Zendaya, Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner, have been at the top of the list. But so have celebrities who didn't attend the gala this year, including Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez.

Vogue, that according to Puck News published 570 Met Gala stories on its platforms and logged more than a billion video views of content from the night, it has also come under fire for its ties to the event.

“The Met Gala is by far Vogue's biggest source of income,” said Elaina Bell, a former Vogue employee. in a TikTok post with 850,000 views. He explained that the event sold sponsorships “based on data from past events,” adding, “The way the Met Gala is viewed is very important to Vogue's bottom line specifically, but also to Condé Nast.”

And there wasn't some commotion about the subject?

It certainly attracted attention. The dress code was “The Garden of Time,” inspired by JG Ballard's short story of the same name. It is an allegorical story about an aristocratic couple isolated in their property of fading beauty, harassed by a huge mob preparing to invade and destroy the space. More like on the nose.

Are there critics of the movement?

Yes. Some posts say that blocking is a negative example of “cancel culture.” Others suggest that, like other social media-led movements, it is digital posturing that generates little significant change.

Some argue that celebrities have no duty (or conscience) to speak out about complicated geopolitical issues, and they still wonder why it matters what celebrities think about those issues. Others feel the movement has blurred the parameters, as some prominent figures, such as Jennifer Lopez and Billie Eilish, have previously shown support for a ceasefire in Gaza but are being punished for not speaking out now.

So what has turned out so far?

Several stars on widely circulated block lists, including instagram.com/p/C6woRA6ysCM/?hl=en” title=”” rel=”noopener noreferrer” target=”_blank”>lizzo and the influencer instagram.com/p/C61G8gotsLd/?hl=en” title=”” rel=”noopener noreferrer” target=”_blank”>Chris Olsen, posted their first public videos asking their followers to donate in support of aid organizations serving Palestinians. Blockout supporters have also worked to “boost” celebrities who have recently spoken out about the conflict, such as Macklemore, Dua Lipa and The Weeknd.

According to metrics from analytics firm Social Blade, many names on block lists have lost tens or hundreds of thousands of followers per day since “digitality” began. But shady claims that stars like Kim Kardashian have lost millions of followers are baseless.

What happens now?

Will more celebrities start speaking on the red carpet as a result of the lists? It's too early to tell. But for frequent TikTok users, the Met Gala's brand aura is being profoundly altered. And while social media-led boycotts are unprecedented, this latest move is a clear example of the growing power of creators redistribute or even weaponize platforms that are cornerstones of a modern (and capitalist) celebrity-centric system.