Blockout 2024 is a strategy game developed by California Dreams and published by MacSoft.
For the past 7 months, the international community has been outraged by the civilian deaths in the Gaza Strip of Palestine. According to Gaza’s health authorities, the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict has resulted in at least 34,735 fatalities since October 7, 2023, including more than 14,000 children.
Despite initially designating the border city of Rafah as a “safe zone”for civilians, Israel has continued to bombard the area, causing dire living conditions for the over 1.5 million Palestinians, many of whom are children, seeking refuge there since the beginning of the conflict in the Gaza Strip.
Despite the devastation of war in Rafah, the United States held the highly anticipated Met Gala in early May with great enthusiasm.
Despite the stark differences between Rafah and the Met Gala, the lack of action from attending celebrities to aid in the humanitarian crisis infuriates numerous netizens. They denounce the wealthy and influential guests for not utilizing their resources to bring aid to the suffering region.
Despite the 2024 Oscars having numerous stars advocating for political causes by wearing a red pin in support of Artists4Ceasefire, which stood against Israel’s assault on Gaza, the Met Gala opted to restrict discussions on such matters.
@trtworld Why are A-list celebrities losing followers?
This exasperation eventually transformed into a social media campaign known as Blockout 2024.
This movement aims to discourage people from supporting or following celebrities or organizations with a significant presence on social media. Its goal is to convey a message against complicity and to greatly impact the social media earnings of these individuals or groups.
The boycott campaign aims to exert pressure on public figures to utilize their influential platforms in order to promote information advocating for a ceasefire.
Marcus Collins, an assistant professor of marketing at the University of Michigan, holds the belief that supporters of the movement are seeking a better understanding of justice, and are therefore pushing for political action from entities like the US government in order to decrease violence in the Middle East. Nevertheless, the expert questions the efficacy of this approach.
The reason for the widespread support for Blockout 2024, according to him, is that the general public feels trapped and powerless. He believes that encouraging people to speak up during times of urgency can help them regain a sense of control.
“According to Collins, the satisfaction of making a difference for others is a result of taking action, no matter how small. This mindset emphasizes the importance of doing something rather than nothing at all.”
BTS and BLACKPINK: Included in the Boycott List
The Blockout 2024 movement was launched by a group of TikTok content creators and swiftly gained traction.
The list of celebrities who have been asked to participate in a boycott includes high-profile individuals like Kim Kardashian, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Kylie Jenner, Zendaya, Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, Khloe Kardashian, Ariana Grande, Doja Cat, Demi Lovato, Lizzo, Nicki Minaj, Travis Scott, Kanye West, Katy Perry, Zac Efron, Joe Jonas, Nick Jonas, Kevin Jonas, Justin Timberlake, and numerous others.
Following the Met Gala, the protest only grew stronger as more celebrities in attendance were added to the “blacklist.”TRT World, a Turkish television channel, also released a video revealing a decline in the number of followers on the affected celebrities’ personal social media accounts.
On May 11, Bisan Owda, a Palestinian journalist who was recently recognized with the prestigious Peabody Award in the US for her reporting from the Gaza Strip, shared her support for Blockout 2024 on Instagram.
Owda called for a boycott of all celebrities who choose to remain silent, as seen in his statement: “It’s time to block all celebrities who remain silent,”accompanied by a lengthy list of names. Surprisingly, the reporter included the official Instagram accounts of popular groups BLACKPINK and BTS, as well as Lisa’s personal account.
Owda’s post caused a stir among Kpop fans, particularly among BTS fans. Some fans believed that singling out BTS was unjust as all the members are currently fulfilling their military duties and are subject to stricter regulations regarding expressing political opinions.
Despite the quick dismissal of defenses for BTS, many continued to argue that military service does not prevent individuals from making statements. Additionally, HYBE, the company representing BTS, was criticized for not standing up for the boys while they were away.
Some have also suggested that the boycott list should be extended to include other Kpop idols who have also chosen to remain silent, in addition to BTS and BLACKPINK.
K14
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