On May 6, celebrities decked out in jewels and finery gathered on the steps of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art while hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists protested just a few miles away. That evening, Israeli airstrikes targeted Rafah, an exclave on the border with Gaza that has played a key role in delivering aid and provided refuge for Palestinians during the ongoing war.
These events triggered the start of the digitalization movement.
Dubbed “Celebrity Blockout 2024” or “DigiTeen” (or “Digital Guillotine”), the movement is a protest against celebrity culture, specifically blocking influential people who have yet to use their power and privilege to take a stand against the humanitarian crisis that has devastated millions of people.
What is Celebrity Blockout 2024?
At the time of the Met Gala, social media users hunger game“The Met Gala” is a dystopian young adult novel series by Suzanne Collins that explores themes of class, survival, and privilege. On X (formerly Twitter), people used the series to call out the painful gap between the lavishness of events like the Met Gala and the wars in the Middle East that continue to claim lives. Timelines erupted in rage when images of Met Gala co-chair Zendaya were posted side-by-side with Rafa's photos of Palestinian children.
These ideas quickly transformed into a larger call to action and became the Blockout movement.
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Hashtags like #celebrityblocklist, #letthemeatcake and #blockout2024 are being used to galvanize people with online boycotts targeting some of the world's most famous people, from the Kardashians to Zendaya and Taylor Swift.
The movement has also targeted influencers. Many of the movements began as a response to an ill-advised video posted by influencer Haley “Bailey” Khalil (@haleyybaylee) at a Met Gala pre-event in which she lip-synced “Let them eat cake,” a line from Marie Antoinette in Sofia Coppola's 2006 biopic of the French queen. While there is no historical evidence that Marie Antoinette actually said the line, the quote symbolizes the hardships of the French Revolution, when a movement led by those suffering from social and economic inequality overthrew a bankrupt aristocracy. The extravagance and corruption within the powerful court of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette became a talking point for those whose economic interests were neglected and whose lives were increasingly impoverished.
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TikTok user Ray (@ladyfromtheoutside) is said to have started the movement, specifically using the term “digital guillotine” or “digitine,” and urging TikTok users to unfollow Bailey first. The “guillotine” reference suggests that Bailey was using the infamous Marie Antoinette reference, as both King Louis XVI and the Queen were executed by guillotine after the Revolution was won.
“We gave them the platform and now it's time to take it back and take our views, our likes, our comments and our money,” Ray said in the video, which has been viewed more than 2 million times.
What does this movement want?
On social media, including TikTok and X, people have posted lists of celebrities they will unfollow or block, accusing them of being naive. and They are not using their huge and far-reaching platforms for good.
The tweet may have been deleted
TikTok users explain that the movement is driven by the overwhelming silence from celebrities, celebrities realizing their influence, and people diverting money and attention from these celebrities. Media outlets like Slow Factory explain that the digital revolt is even more impactful because people are not just removing celebrities from their feeds, but actually blocking them, depriving them of the financial benefits of targeted advertising. “This is a grassroots movement to demand accountability and social responsibility from all members of our community, whether they're famous or not,” the company's Instagram post reads.
Others in the movement also point out that disillusionment with celebrities amid a global crisis is nothing new, and that the pro-Palestinian movement is primarily driven and voiced by people – people working to make change on the ground.
“Why are we more interested in celebrity tidbits?” asks creator @ashcashistrash. “I don't care if Kim Kardashian says something about it. I care about the people on the ground who are suffering, the people educating themselves and protesting in America. I don't care about celebrities and you shouldn't either.”
Mashable's Elena Cavender and Chase DiBenedetto make a similar argument, writing, “Why do we care about what celebrities think about social movements?” Celebrities have the means to draw attention to Palestine, they write, but “it's up to those online to decide where to look.”
The tweet may have been deleted
This sentiment is echoed by other TikTok users like @xiandivyne, who argue that digital boycotts can be punitive and furthermore that, whereas ongoing student protests at universities around the world have clear objectives, digital boycotts may not have a clear objective.
The tweet may have been deleted
Still, there has been considerable backlash since then, with celebrities including Selena Gomez, Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner and Zendaya reportedly losing hundreds of thousands of followers. Meanwhile, singer Lizzo said in an Instagram post yesterday that it was “long overdue”, and gave special thanks to activists “working tirelessly” to help liberate the people of Palestine, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, where humanitarian challenges and conflicts are reaching new heights.
Criticism of Blockout suggests that a celebrity pedestal isn't necessarily what activists need, while others point out that the movement is a culmination of frustration and anger at public figures, their apparent ignorance, and their resounding silence. It is this silence that is ultimately criticized, regardless of whether celebrities and their words are necessary to create significant change. And the real victories will come from concrete efforts to channel collective energy toward others: activists, small businesses, and people who have long had a voice in whatever capacity.
