Blockout 2024: Why celebs are losing followers
Hollywood A-listers, including Kim Kardashian, have been losing social media followers in droves as part of a digital boycott following this year’s Met Gala. See why.
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The largesse of this year’s Met Gala has come back to bite for some celebrities, with their social media following taking a hit.
Take a look at why.
WHAT IS BLOCKOUT 2024?
Furious at the cash splash, where some attendees pay $75,000 for a ticket to the Met Gala, social media users have begun unfollowing their one-time favourite actors, musicians and influencers on channels including Instagram, TikTok and X.
The digital boycott, called BlockOut 2024, has gained traction in the last few days, with the trending hashtags #Blockout2024 and #CelebrityBlocklist.
The movement is calling for everyone to block, unfollow and unsubscribe certain celebrities across various social media platforms.
WHICH CELEBRITIES HAVE BEEN HIT BY BLACKOUT 2024?
Celebrities including Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, Taylor Swift, Nicki Minaj, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, Ariana Grande, Selena Gomez and Zendaya have lost hundreds of thousands of followers – and ironically, not all attended the ball.
The criteria for who ends up on the chopping block boils down to those who either attended the Met Gala, those who have been silent on the crisis in Gaza, or a general frustration with the amount of wealth being flaunt as the high cost of living continues to hit hard.
HOW MANY FOLLOWERS CELEBRITIES LOST IN BLOCKOUT 2024?
WHY ARE FANS ANGRY AT CELEBS?
There are two main reasons that drew the ire of fans, one was driven by celebrities remaining silent of the issues in Gaza, where not far from the Met Gala a pro-Palestine protest was being held.
The second reason was the tone-deaf nature of the celebrities throwing thousands of dollars are an extravagant event, dressing up in designer clothing and living in luxury while people are struggling financially.
The final straw for many social users was a now-deleted clip from US influencer Hayley Kalil, better known as @hayleybayley, of her in floral attire, lip-synching “let them eat cake”.
It was designed to channel infamous queen of France Marie Antionette, who in her day asked why starving peasants simply could not eat cake.
One TikToker user took the French Revolution theme even further, calling on people to do a “digital guillotine”.
“It’s time for the people to conduct what I want to call a ‘digital guillotine’. A Digitine, if you will,” one Tiktoker said in a video.
Me waking up to hearing Kim K lost over 3 million followers in the last 24 hours, and that thereâs livestream watch parties showing these big celebrities lose followers as we speak. Boy.. this morningâs coffee tastes especially good âºï¸âï¸â¨#blockout2024pic.twitter.com/f1LphvsWtu
— DK ð¦ðð (@darkkittyart) May 10, 2024
“It’s time to block all the celebrities, influencers and wealthy socialities who are not using their resources to help those in dire need. We gave them their platforms, it’s time to take it back, take our views away, our likes, our comments, our money by blocking them on all social media and digital platforms.”
Another TikToker praised the movement and those who block the “out of touch with reality celebrities”.
“You’re telling me that the move is to block celebrities who can afford (a) $75,000 ticket to the Met Gala while the rest of us are out here trying to keep our heads above water. I’m all for it,” another Tiktoker said.