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 the most powerful annual spectacle (one for which tickets cost $75,000 this year) achieved this feat proved surprising to many observers. However, less than two weeks later, a rapidly growing online protest movement was taking shape. At least, it was on TikTok, the social media platform that sponsored the Met event.
Blockout 2024, also referred to as Operation Blockout or Celebrity Block Party, targets high-profile figures who participants feel are not using their profiles and platforms to speak out about the Israel-Hamas war and more widespread humanitarian crises. Here’s what’s happened so far, what supporters can expect and why it all started.
How did it start?
The criticism began on May 6, when Haley Kalil (@haleybaylee on social media), an influencer who hosted E! News before the event, posted a TikTok video of herself wearing a luxurious 18th-century-style floral gown and headdress with audio from Sofia Coppola’s 2006 film “Marie Antoinette,” in which Kirsten Dunst declared, “Let them eat cake!”
The clip (where Ms. Kalil apologizes and is deleted) has been widely viewed. Given the current global conflicts and humanitarian crisis, critics have described it as “tone deaf.” Then the posts appeared comparing fancy dress worn by celebrities on the Met red carpet in scenes from “The Hunger Games,” where richly dressed citizens win and dine while watching poor districts suffer for sport.
Photos of Zendaya, a Met Gala co-chair, attached pictures of Palestinian children, motivated the online masses. Soon came a rallying cry @ladyfromtheoutsidea TikTok creator who found inspiration in the parroting of Ms. Close to Marie Antoinette.
“It’s time for people to execute what I like to call the digital guillotine — a ‘digitine,’ if you will,” he said in a May 8 video post with two million views. “It is time to block all the celebrities, influencers and rich socialites who are not using their resources to help those in need. We gave them their platforms. It’s time to take it back, take away our views, our likes, our comments, our money.”
“Block lists” of celebrities deemed worthy of being blocked are published and widely shared online.
What do social media protesters want?
The movement is made up of pro-Palestinian supporters who scrutinize the actions and words of A-listers to decide whether they have responded adequately to the conflict. If they say nothing or not enough, the movement is calling for Gaza supporters to block that celebrity on social media. What constitutes sufficient action by a celebrity — whether it’s calling for a ceasefire, donations to aid charities or statements — appears to be unclear and can vary from celebrity to celebrity.
What’s the point of blocking celebrities?
“Blockout” supporters say the blocking is important because brands look at data on the followers and engagement of influencers and celebrities on social media before choosing whether to work with them to promote a product. Blocking someone on social media means you no longer see any posts from the person’s accounts, and it gives the blocker more control over who has access to their own updates and personal information. This can have more of an impact than unfollowing a celebrity account because many product deals thrive on targeted ads and views that can accrue even if a user only sees a post, without -like or share.
If enough people block a content creator, it will reduce the creator’s ability to make money. Also, those who follow this mindset say, why follow someone whose values don’t align with yours?
Who are the main targets?
Attendees with huge followings, like Zendaya, Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner, are on top of the chopping blocks. But so are celebrities who didn’t attend this year’s gala, including Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez.
Vogue, that is according to Puck News published 570 Met Gala stories on its platforms and recorded over one billion video views of content from the evening, was also targeted for its association with the event.
“The Met Gala is far and away Vogue’s biggest cash cow,” said Elaina Bell, a former Vogue employee. in a TikTok post with 850,000 views. He explained that the event sells sponsorships “based on the data of past events,” adding, “How the Met Gala is perceived is very important to the bottom line of Vogue specifically but also Condé Nast.”
And wasn’t there a ballyhoo about the theme?
It must have raised an eyebrow. The dress code is “The Garden of Time,” inspired by JG Ballard’s short story of the same name. It is an allegorical story about a royal couple isolated in their state of fading beauty who are harassed by a massive crowd preparing to overrun and destroy the space. Instead of the nose.
Are there critics of the movement?
Yes. Some posts say that the blockout is a negative example of “cancel the culture.” Others suggest that, like other social media-led movements, it is digital posturing that generates little meaningful change.
Some argue that celebrities don’t have the duty (or the awareness) to speak out on complex geopolitical issues, and they question why it matters what celebrities think about those issues, anyway. . Others feel the movement has vague parameters, as some A-listers, 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 come out of it so far?
There are many stars on widely circulated block lists, including Lizzo and the influencer Chris Olsen, posted their first public videos asking followers to donate in support of organizations that provide aid to Palestinians. Supporters of the blockout have also worked to “amplify” celebrities who have recently spoken out about the conflict, such as Macklemore, Dua Lipa and The Weeknd.
According to metrics from the analytics company Social Blade, many names on the block lists have lost tens or hundreds of thousands of followers per day since “digitine” began. But the dark claim that stars like Kim Kardashian have lost millions of followers is unsubstantiated.
What will happen now?
Will more A-listers start speaking on the red carpet as a result of the listings? It’s too early to tell. But for frequent TikTok users, the Met Gala’s brand aura has been radically altered. And while social-media-led boycotts are by no means unprecedented, this latest movement is a clear example of the growing power of creators to redistribute or weaponize the platforms that are the foundations of a modern celebrity-centric — and capitalist — system.
