Blockout 2024 movement: Why are A-list celebrities losing followers amid Met Gala outrage?

A new trend is sweeping across social media platforms, particularly TikTok, as users express their frustration with celebrity culture while showing solidarity with Gaza and Sudan.

The latest movement, known as the celebrity block list, has gained traction online, with the hashtag #Blockout2024 trending. 

Users are sharing videos compiling lists of celebrities and influencers to block en masse as a response to their perceived inadequate reactions, or lack thereof, to the ongoing conflicts in Gaza and Sudan.

The devastating toll of the conflicts is highlighted, with over 34,971 people, predominantly women and children, killed in Gaza during the seven-month war. 

The conflict has drawn international condemnation for its apparent violations of international humanitarian law.

In Sudan, more than 14,000 people have lost their lives, and thousands more have been injured amid reports of widespread sexual violence and other atrocities. Rights groups have characterized these actions as war crimes and crimes against humanity.

What is 'Operation Blockout'? 

Online critics argue that events like the annual Met Gala, where elite figures from the fashion world showcase their extravagant and avant-garde styles, highlight the disconnect between such opulence and pressing social issues.

As attendees dazzled in dramatic attire embellished with crystals and florals, protests in support of Palestine were underway just blocks away in New York City. 

This juxtaposition sparked the inception of what became known as 'Operation Blockout'.

Tiktok users such as @blockout2024, who is credited with founding the celebrity blocking campaign, have called out several of the world's biggest names who are deemed as complicit. 

From Kim Kardashian, Taylor Swift to Justin Bieber- users did not hold back on who is alleged to be blamed. 

In one video Blockout2024 posted on TikTok, which has since accumulated over a million views, he said that followers have "full control of celebrities' money and lives". 

"When we hate on them, they make money. When we praise them, they make money. But when we block their social media accounts and completely forget their names, they lose it all," Tiktoker Blockout2024 said. 

"The amount of attention we give them and the amount of engagement we give them is their direct currency. Take it from them."

Celebrities will be unable to earn ad revenue by significantly reducing their followers, according to users, who say will pressure celebrities into highlighting Palestine and Sudan. 

Jenny, a Tiktok user from Vietnam, told The New Arab that "the genocide going on in Palestine" prompted her to take part in the campaign. 

"The algorithm of Tiktok allows anyone, disregard of age, sex or societal status, to be able to go viral as long as their content aligns with the interest of other users. That's why the portrayal of any social issue on Tiktok has been shown to really be non-biased and very authentic since it's the voice of mundane people just like you and me," she said. 

"I've never been able to comprehend the power of social media until I saw a whole movement to support Palestine, Congo and Sudan started off from TikTok. Especially among Gen-Zs as they are perceived to be the generation that's much more sensitive to social matters." 

The 22-year-old Tiktoker reiterated that with power comes responsibility- adding that celebrities' silence has cost the miseducation of humanitarian crises taking place worldwide. 

"I personally feel so much rage, as to why people can put so much more effort into participating in a lavish event, which costs thousands of dollars, while being completely benevolent at the fact that people are being bombed to pieces on the other side of the world," she told The New Arab. 

"The Met Gala 2024 was an event that depicts the imbalance of power & resource distribution in our society."