New Delhi: There is always some movement going on regarding celebrities, sometimes in favor and sometimes boycott, like Me Too started years ago in which many stars speak openly about their struggle and casting couch. These days the blockout movement is going on and the list of this movement of 2024 has the names of many well-known personalities and Alia Bhatt is also included in it. This blockout is a growing movement. After her appearance at the Met Gala on May 6 this year, actress Alia Bhatt’s name has been included in the ‘blockout list’. After this, she made an appearance at the Gucci Cruise Show 2025 in London on May 13. Alia has been accused of being ‘complicit’. She has been included in this list because she has remained silent on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and did not pay attention to the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Now let us know what is a ‘blockout list’?
Some social media users have called on celebrities to band together to call out their inaction in the face of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and have resorted to ‘blockouts’ to pressure stars to take a stand. Blockouts have involved users restricting access to any content from certain celebrities’ accounts on social media platforms including X, TikTok and Instagram. Some have used hashtags such as #blockout, #blockout2024, or #celebrityblockout to post about the celebrities they have blocked, while others have criticised attendees at high-glamour events such as the Met Gala.
Blockout participants say it is a protest because celebrities have either not spoken out or not said enough against Israel’s actions in Gaza during its war with Hamas. The Israeli military has killed more than 35,000 people in Gaza since the war began with deadly Hamas attacks on October 7, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
How does Blockout work?
On social media platforms, users see content from the people they follow, as well as content from people selected for them by the algorithm. In both cases, users can choose to mute or block a person’s account. Blocking celebrities’ social accounts means not seeing any content released by them on social media. Let us tell you that the number of people interacting with content on social media brings money to the celebs, so the block is aimed at negatively affecting views, engagement and salary checks. Blockouts are also aimed at targeting the celebrities’ brands by diverting attention from their content.
How did the blockout start?
Protests over the Israel-Hamas war have grown, with college campuses across the country being occupied. Amid those movements, attention has turned to what celebrities and influencers are saying and not doing after last week’s Met Gala. The annual party draws many famous faces from the worlds of fashion, cinema, music, sports and more. Social media has been flooded with photos from this year’s event, including the glamorous star-studded event. Around the same time, images emerged of Israel launching a military operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. This led some users to call out the contrast between the festival’s celebrity prosperity and the situation in Gaza, using images of both to condemn celebrities for not using their platforms to speak out for those suffering.
Will this have any effect?
Its power has yet to be seen, said Beth Fossen, an assistant professor of marketing at Indiana University. It may depend on the celebrity and what they’re known for, she said — a famous person whose brand is associated with humanitarian causes may be more affected than someone known primarily for talent. “If your identity is really tied to promoting something that’s critical of the boycott, it could potentially have serious consequences for you,” Fossen said. “There may be some influencers who gain their fame by promoting peace and then they stay silent on the issue, followers may not forgive them.”
Alia Bhatt, Bollywood celebrities, Bollywood News, israel gaza attack today
FIRST PUBLISHED : May 24, 2024, 12:24 IST