Digitine: Understanding the Blocking, Unfollowing Campaigns of Celebs on TikTok

Social media influencers and celebrities are losing millions of followers on TikTok right now as more users join the "Digitine" boycott campaign.

Digitine: Origins of the Blockout 2024 Movement

Digitine or "Digital Guillotine" trend started earlier in May after American model and social media influencer Haylee "Baylee" Kalil posted a TikTok video during the 2024 Met Gala.

In the video, Kalil, dressed as French Queen Marie Antoinette, lip-syncing to an audio quote from the 2006 film about the French monarch uttering the infamous line "Let them eat cake."

The phrase refers to what the French queen allegedly said when told that her people had been starving, a statement that later caused the 18th-Century French Revolution and Marie Antoinette's execution.

Similar to the people's reaction 200 years ago, the video quickly earned massive backlash as users criticized the video for being "tone deaf" amidst protests against the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

Taking inspiration from the execution method that killed the monarch, the term "Digitine" was then coined as a massive campaign to block or unfollow similar "out of touch" personalities who have not spoken about the plight of Palestinians.

As of writing, the video has already been deleted with Kalil releasing another video for choosing an audio "you guys could ever possibly feel was malicious in nature."

Despite the "apology video," Kalil has lost thousands of followers on TikTok overnight amid the controversy while the movement continues to grow.

Blockout 2024 Movement Hits Major Brands, Hollywood Celebrities

Kalil and other online influencers were not the only people who have been affected by the "digital guillotine" as other notable figures attending the Met Gala became the next targets.

Hollywood celebrities, and later major fashion brands, lost millions of followers over the past week as people demanded them to address the situation in Rafah, the last remaining refuge for Palestinians trapped in war-torn Gaza.

Stars like Taylor Swift have reportedly lost over 100,000 followers since the movement started. This is smaller compared to the 3 million followers American model Kim Kardashian has allegedly lost.

On the other hand, accounts spreading about the Blockout 2024 movement have been rising in numbers as small-time creators try to educate people on the significance of the boycott.

Why are People Boycotting Celebrities?

The biggest question now would be why specifically the celebrities' followers are being targeted.

Like with similar boycott movements against corporations after the initial response on Gaza over eight months ago, protesters are hitting the personalities and influencers' "bottom line."

It is estimated that TikTok pays content creators $20 to $40 per million views. This does not include brand sponsorship many top influencers receive as they gain following.

By reducing their followers and potential sponsorships, online protesters are urging these personalities to use their platform to address the human rights violations in Gaza.

Even if the case movement does not affect the celebrities themselves, the attention poured into the issue is sure to raise awareness of other celebrities that could potentially be affected by the movement.