The term “digitine,” short for “digital guillotine,” has gone viral following the 2024 Met Gala. Coined by TikTok user ladyfromtheoutside, the term gained traction after Haley Baylee’s Marie Antoinette-themed video sparked backlash. Baylee, who interviewed celebrities before the Met Gala, drew attention for her Marie Antoinette cosplay. Baylee’s video has since been deleted, but in it she stated “Let them eat cake,” as she posed in her 18th-century Marie Antoinette-inspired gown. People drew comparisons between Antoinette who did little to help starving peasants and the celebrities at Met Gala ignoring the deaths in Gaza. As a result, several posts, many of which used the hashtags #digitine or #Blockout2024 emerged. The movement calls for mass unfollowing and blocking of celebrities and influencers who haven’t publicly addressed the Israel-Hamas war. Many TikTok and Instagram users took to social media to begin sharing videos of them blocking celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Taylor Swift. Advocates of the digitine argue that celebrities’ influence and income are tied to their follower counts. Therefore mass digital boycotts could pressure them to use their platforms for social issues. Experts suggest that while such boycotts can impact celebrities, significant follower loss is needed to make a substantial difference. Some celebrities have since come forward to voice their geo-political stances, such as controversial singer Lizzo. “I just want to take a second and give a personal thank you to all of the activists who have been working tirelessly to help the liberation and the freedom of the people who have been genocided all over the world, specifically Palestine, Sudan and the Congo,” Lizzo said in an Instagram video. However, many fans have critisied recent celebrity attempts to assert a position, as little more than lipservice. What do you think of the viral ‘BlockOut2024’ trend?
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