Block Party – how Gen Z fans punished stars over perceived ethical inaction

Gen Zs are beginning to wield their cultural collective power online to hold celebrities accountable for their actions and silence.

Calls for boycotts are not unusual within the online space - especially on TikTok. Gen Zs, who have been identified as the “activism generation”, focus most famously on environmental concerns, pleading with major corporations and governments to radically change their sustainability policies. But when news broke of armed conflict resuming between Israel and Palestine on October 7th 2023, organised efforts centred on education and awareness - with over 3.2M TikTok videos using #Israel and 5.7M with #Palestine currently recorded. As the conflict persisted, these campaigns evolved away from awareness towards promoting support via individual donations or boycotting silent/opposing corporations.

At this stage, activists used typical tools to draw attention to those in power and appeal to their support, yet when reports came in of Israeli airstrikes hitting Rafah on May 7th, a more fandom-centric response emerged, thanks in part to the Met Gala three days later.

The Met Gala, in its standard display of opulence and otherwordly privilege, highlighted the disparity between the famous and those suffering. TikTokers began juxtaposing images between the Met Gala and Rafah. Celebrities like Zendaya and Kim Kardashian were referred to as denizens od “District One”, while the Hunger Games soundtrack played in the background of clips. Gen Zs were horrified at how little the elites had done to pledge their support to the victims of the conflict, how few of them had taken a stand and, crucially, how these idols & influencers had failed to reflect their own values.

Then Haylee Kalil, model and chronic online content creator, posted a video of her at the Met Gala dressed as Marie Antionette, declaring, “Let Them Eat Cake,” which has now been deleted.

To have someone TikTok users made famous display this level of disconnect was a breaking point for her community. It was a sign that it was not only the mainstream celebrities who failed us but our home-grown leaders, too. So, a new form of activism is proposed, capitalising on how celebrities gain power in the digital age. Inspired by Bailey’s 18th-century garb, people are calling for a “Digital Guillotine”, also known as a “Digitine”, “Blockout 2024”, and the “Block Party”.

When tracking the conversation on Pulsar TRAC, we can see that Taylor Swift has been called out as the single most popular person to block in this campaign, largely due to her ubiquitous popularity. Kim Kardashian, Zendaya and Lana Del Ray, who all attended the 2024 Met Gala also feature.

The “Digital Guillotine”, or “Digitine”, represents the final departure from traditional forms of fan engagement. Fans are no longer passive consumers and blanket supporters but empowered, active agents of change. By blocking any celebrity who has not publicly declared some form of support for the victims of the Israel-Palestine conflict, Gen Zs understand, perhaps more than any other generation, that they are the gatekeepers to relevance. Relevance is to riches as riches is to power - it is a boycott of the corporation of celebrity, the ultimate cancel culture.

As the Digitine or Block Party gains momentum online, spreading widely across multiple social platforms, it raises questions about the future of fandom culture altogether.

It signals the demise of superficial idol worship, ushering in an era of value tests to ensure our future celebrities reflect the wants and needs of the community they represent.

In the digital age where attention is currency, the Digitine underscores the power of fans to gatekeep who’s in and who’s out. For Gen Zs, authenticity and accountability are demanded from their idols - as long as they reflect themselves.

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