Celebrity ‘blockout’ is social media protest over Gaza
New updates on Israel-Hamas war
Palestinians around the world are remembering The Nakba today, marking the anniversary of their expulsion from what is now Israel after World War II. This comes as hundreds of thousands of Palestinian flee Rafah ahead of the Israeli invasion of Southern Gaza. National Security expert Ken Gray weighs in.
Some on social media are pushing a movement to "block" celebrities who they say have been silent on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The "blockout" is a form of protest and is meant to pressure stars to speak up or take a stand against Israel’s actions in Gaza during its war with Hamas.
Since the war erupted Oct. 7 with Hamas' deadly attacks, Israel’s military has killed more than 35,000 people in Gaza, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Meanwhile, social media has been flooded with images from star-studded events, such as the Met Gala, drawing contrast between celebrity opulence in the U.S. and the quality of life in Gaza.
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If you’ve been seeing calls to block out celebrities, or posts from people who have done so, here’s what to know about how it works:
Blockout 2024
FILE - Woman texting in the dark. Getty Images
Users mute or put a block on seeing any and all content from the accounts of certain celebrities on social media platforms including X, TikTok and Instagram.
Muting content from someone does not unfollow them; it will just hide their posts from your feed until you unmute them.
Blocking the accounts means not seeing any of the content they produce on social media — no posts, no photos or videos, no collaborations with sponsors. The number of people interacting with content brings in money, so the blocks are meant to affect views, engagement and — ultimately — paychecks.
The blockout is also meant to target celebrities' brands by taking eyeballs and attention away from their content.
Celebrity block list
There is no single organized list of celebrities being blocked. Some users are offering celebrity suggestions, while others are deciding on their own. Celebrities in the U.S. and beyond have been named in the blockout.
Blocking is up to each social media user. And every celebrity, influencer or content creator must be blocked individually on each platform.
This story was reported from Detroit. The Associated Press contributed.