Why Are TikTok Users Blocking Celebrities?

TikTok. (Photo Illustration by Thiago Prudêncio/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

SOPA IMAGES/LIGHTROCKET VIA GETTY IMAGES Digital activists on TikTok are taking a unique approach by blocking celebrities who fail to use their platforms to speak out against injustice. This movement aims to put pressure on the rich and famous to take action. By targeting influencers across platforms like TikTok and Instagram, the activists hope to reduce the engagement and earning potential of stars who rely on branding deals related to their follower counts. The activists in this TikTok campaign understand the power of attention. They reason that if celebrities can profit from their fame through branding deals, then they should also be able to use that fame to raise awareness for important causes. TikTok users can still see sponsored posts from influencers they don't follow, but blocking an account ensures that all of a blocked celebrity's posts, including sponsored content and ads, are removed from the timeline. Thus, the hope is that this blocking campaign will force influencers and celebrities to use their platforms for more than just advertising. This movement has been given names like “Blockout,” “BlockTok,” and the “Digitine” (digital guillotine). Critics have dismissed it as “cancel culture” or “slacktivism,” but supporters point to a decline in the follower numbers of targeted celebrities and note that some have been pressured into speaking out.

How Did The ‘Digitine' Movement Begin?

In 2025, as wealth inequality continues to widen, online animosity towards the rich and famous has been on the rise. Social media's ability to bring people closer has highlighted the economic gap between celebrities and their fans. Users scroll through images and videos of celebrity excess side by side with the horrors of war, economic despair, and climate change on the same timeline. This stark contrast has led to comparisons with The Hunger Games. Author Suzanne Collins spoke of the cognitive dissonance she felt while switching between war coverage and reality TV on cable channels, which inspired her dystopian series. On TikTok, during the 2024 Met Gala, Hunger Games references were made. Many found the opulence on display uncomfortable, but a joke from influencer Haley Kalil (@haleyybaylee) really sparked things. She posted a clip of herself dressed for the Met Gala, lip-syncing a line spoken by Kirsten Dunst as Marie Antoinette, "let them eat cake." This infamous (possibly fictional) quote is said to have been spoken by the French queen when told her starving subjects were running out of bread. TikTok users didn't find the joke funny, and @ladyfromtheoutside posted a response video declaring a digital class war, saying, "It's time to block all of the celebrities, influencers, and wealthy socialites 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." Kalil later deleted the video and issued a long apology, but it was too late. Other TikTok users started spreading the #digitine hashtag and targeting big names like Kim Kardashian and Taylor Swift. TikTok users cited causes like the plight of Palestinians in Gaza, wealth inequality, and the climate crisis as things celebrities could be drawing attention to. They began creating and sharing block lists of celebrities they perceived as silent. However, these lists have been criticized as disorganized and contradictory. One user pointed out that some lists included the names of deceased celebrities, as well as those who have publicly spoken out against injustice.

How Effective Has The ‘Digitine’ Protest Been?

Notably, some celebrities have indeed spoken up after being on the block lists. Lizzo, for example, posted a video on Instagram asking followers to donate to aid organizations helping the inhabitants of Gaza, Sudan, and the Congo, and clarified that she had donated money to all three organizations. While she didn't specify the amount, reports citing donations from her stage name suggest she gave roughly $10,000 to a fundraiser connected to Operation Olive Branch, a volunteer-led collective that directs funds to campaigns helping displaced Palestinians. Analytics site Social Blade shows a drop in followers for many of the names on the lists. Since the movement began, some celebrities have lost hundreds of thousands of followers. Taylor Swift's 32 - million following on TikTok dropped by 200,000, and on Instagram, she lost 328,000, leaving her with 283 million overall. Kim Kardashian lost almost a million followers on Instagram but still has more than 362 million in total. Haley Kalil, the influencer who inspired the hashtag, lost 100,000 followers on TikTok but currently has more than 9 million. The #digitine hashtag has sparked debates on TikTok about the effectiveness of this mass - blocking movement. Small creators often rely on branding deals based on their follower counts, but big names like Kim Kardashian and Taylor Swift seem to be the most targeted. Considering they have hundreds of millions of followers and multiple income streams outside of social media, they seem the least likely to be significantly affected by the protest. At the very least, the digitine movement has started conversations about social injustice and wealth inequality. Movements like #BlackLivesMatter and #MeToo started as hashtags and grew into multi - faceted movements combining digital activism and active protest. So far, the digitine has been mainly confined to social media. However, the BBC has noted that digital activism can be an effective tool for raising awareness and shaping political movements. The digitine might be more of a symbol of discontent than a full - blown revolution, but it implies a cultural shift, showing that the public now expects celebrities and influencers to contribute more to society beyond just providing entertainment.

文章来源：forbes

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在当今的社交媒体环境下，各种新的现象和运动不断涌现。就像TikTok上这次针对明星的“数字断头台”运动，反映出大众对于名人社会责任的一种新期待。在信息传播极为迅速的时代，名人的影响力被放大，人们不再仅仅满足于他们带来的娱乐，更希望看到他们利用自身影响力为社会问题发声。这种现象其实在互联网发展历程中并不罕见，此前也有许多类似通过网络力量引发社会关注和推动改变的例子。例如#BlackLivesMatter和#MeToo运动，从最初的网络话题逐渐演变成具有广泛影响力的社会运动。这次的“数字断头台”运动虽然目前主要局限于社交媒体，但它无疑也为未来可能的社会变革和公众意识提升埋下了种子。也许在未来，我们会看到更多借助互联网平台的力量，促使公众人物以及整个社会更加关注和积极解决各种社会问题的情况出现。