On May 6th, celebrities, influencers, and artists gathered in droves at the Met Gala, the Metropolitan Museum of Art's annual fundraiser in New York City.
But for many viewers, the glittering costumes, celebrity exposure, and sheer display of wealth seemed insensitive, even dystopian, given the Israeli military's attack on the southern Gaza city of Rafah. On TikTok, some users juxtaposed footage of the Met Gala with footage of Gaza and Palestinian refugees, overlaid with audio. hunger game The film criticizes dissonance.
Shortly after the Met Gala, TikTok user @blockout2024 began encouraging users to block celebrities on social media. “Block celebrities on social media so they can't make ad revenue from you,” the user explained in a TikTok that now has over 2.5 million views. “Do you know when was the last time Kim Kardashian made money from me? It was December 13th of last year, when I blocked her.”
The proposal, called a “blockout” or “block party,” has quickly gained traction on TikTok, where the hashtag #Blockout2024 has been used more than 38,000 times since @blockout2024 first made the appeal last week.
Some TikTok users have criticized the effort as disorganized, even performative, as more and more people post haphazard and inconsistent “celebrity block lists.” There are already signs that block parties aren't really parties anymore.
But a new social media-based initiative for Palestine is quickly spreading online. Operation Olive Branch, a grassroots Palestinian advocacy movement, is offering a way to provide direct, tangible support to Palestinian families.
So, if you're wondering, “Why are people blocking celebrities these days?”, here's what you need to know about block parties, Operation Olive Branch, and how you can support.
What is a TikTok block party?
Block parties, or blockouts, are a movement on TikTok that involves blocking public figures, and sometimes media organizations and other groups, on social media in order to deprive them of attention, online engagement and advertising revenue, partly in an attempt to get them to speak out about what is happening in Gaza.
While this appears to be a response to the Met Gala, often considered fashion's biggest night, and a general show of support for Palestinians, culture writer Kate Lindsay points out that the exact purpose of the trend, and who specifically should be blocked, remains unclear.
The originator of the trend, TikTok user @blockout2024, only talks about celebrities in general terms, rather than focusing on a specific issue or directly linking the movement to Palestine or other human rights issues. “A lot of things are not going well in our world, so I think it's important to talk about it,” he said in one post. “When you have millions of followers who watch your content every day, you have the opportunity to make a very significant difference in our world. It's a bit shallow to not be proactive about that every day and instead selfishly promote your own products.” Later in the video, @blockout2024 urges viewers to support underground artists and local businesses.
