Why #Blockout2024 is Failing: 3 Reasons You’re Doing it Wrong

Your block list is a placebo.

You think you’re participating in a digital guillotine. You think you’re starving the elite. You think a button press is a revolution.

It’s not.

I’ve spent a decade dissecting how digital attention turns into dollars. I’ve looked at the backend of creator dashboards. I’ve seen the way brand deals are structured.

#Blockout2024 is currently a masterclass in performative frustration. It feels good. It does nothing.

Here are the 3 reasons you’re doing it wrong.

1. You don’t understand the math of the "Digital Penny"

You think blocking a celebrity with 100 million followers "starves" them.

Let’s look at the numbers.

Most creators earn their money through three streams: Direct platform ad revenue, brand sponsorships, and private equity/product lines.

The ad revenue from your individual view is worth roughly $0.001. If 100,000 people block a mega-influencer, that influencer loses $100. That is not a "guillotine." That is a rounding error on their monthly Starbucks budget.

The real money is in brand sponsorships. But here is the catch: Those contracts are signed months in advance. The money is already in the bank. Brands don’t care about your block list today. They care about "Sentiment Analysis" and "Total Reach" over a six-month trailing average.

By the time your block hits their metrics, the news cycle has moved on. The influencer has already pivoted to a new "rebranding" campaign.

You aren’t cutting their oxygen. You’re slightly dimming a lightbulb in a house with a thousand rooms.

2. The Algorithm sees "Block" as "Engagement"

This is the hard truth no one wants to hear.

When you search for a celebrity you don’t follow just to block them, you are sending a signal to the platform.

The algorithm is a machine. It doesn't have a moral compass. It sees a massive spike in searches for a specific name. It sees people "interacting" with a profile.

In the world of Big Data, a block is a high-intent signal. It tells the platform: "This person is culturally relevant right now."

I’ve watched this happen. A "Blockout" starts. Suddenly, that celebrity’s name is trending. People who weren’t even involved in the movement start seeing that celebrity in their "Suggested" or "Explore" feeds because the sheer volume of search traffic triggered the trending algorithm.

You are accidentally marketing the people you hate.

If you want someone to disappear, you don't block them. You ignore them. You don't search their name. You don't comment on their posts telling them they are blocked. You don't share "Block lists" that feature their handles.

Every time you type their name, you give them another 24 hours of relevance.

3. You’re treating the Symptom, not the System

Blocking an influencer is like trying to stop a flood by putting a Band-Aid on a leaky faucet.

The influencers aren't the problem. The platform architecture is the problem.

When you block a celebrity, you are just clearing space for a new, younger, more "compliant" influencer to take their place. The vacancy is filled in seconds.

The platform wins either way. If you block 50 people but stay on the app for three hours, the platform still sells your data. They still show you ads. They still win.

You’re rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic and calling it a rescue mission.

The Insight: The "Silent Treatment" is the only weapon

Here is the "Hot Take" that will get me in trouble.

The only way to actually hurt a digital empire is "Platform Churn."

A block is a preference. A "Delete Account" is a threat.

The platforms don’t care if you hate their creators. They care if you stop looking at the screen. If 100,000 people blocked a celebrity, the platform does nothing. If 100,000 people deleted their accounts in 24 hours, the platform’s stock price would crater.

The #Blockout is popular because it’s easy. It requires zero sacrifice. You get to keep your memes, your dopamine hits, and your social circle while feeling like a hero.

Real leverage requires you to give something up.

Stop looking for "Lists" of who to block. Stop checking to see if they’ve responded. Stop making "Status Updates" about your progress.

The most powerful thing you can do to a celebrity is make them irrelevant. And you can't make someone irrelevant if you're obsessed with blocking them.

You don't need a list. You need a life outside the feed.

The Question:

Are you blocking them to change the world, or are you blocking them so you can feel better about staying on the app?