Celebrities mute social media for #BlackoutTuesday to raise awareness of racial inequality

Members of the music and entertainment industries blacked out their social media feeds on Tuesday and pledged to not share content on social media for the day in order to raise awareness of inequities faced by black Americans.

The movement, called #BlackoutTuesday or #TheShowMustBePaused, alternatively, encouraged celebrities to take a break from posting content on social media platforms so that conversations on the platforms could focus on issues of race and inequality.

Celebrities including Conan O’Brien, Kylie Jenner and singer Rihanna posted images on Instagram and Twitter in support of the campaign, while others such as Fortnite streamer Tyler “Ninja” Blevins released statements noting that they would cease sharing content on social media for the day.

Visit this link for a list of actions you can take: https://t.co/tjNjsYlTft #BlackLivesMatter #TheShowMustBePaused #BlackoutTuesday pic.twitter.com/iKvf84Ioav

— Conan O’Brien (@ConanOBrien) June 2, 2020

“Tomorrow, I will be participating in #BlackOutTuesday and will not be streaming or posting on any social media platforms. No distractions from what is happening in the United States,” Blevins tweeted on Monday.

Tomorrow, I will be participating in #BlackOutTuesday and will not be streaming or posting on any social media platforms. No distractions from what is happening in the United States.

— Ninja (@Ninja) June 2, 2020

Tiffany Trump, daughter of President Trump, also participated in the campaign, posting a blacked-out image on Instagram with an accompanying quote from Helen Keller: ”Alone we can achieve so little; together we can achieve so much.”

Others including MSNBC contributor Brittany Packnett and “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda urged those taking part to avoid using the #blacklivesmatter hashtag on their posts to avoid clogging that feed with blacked-out images and posts of support.

We know we promised silence today, but #BlackLivesMatter resources have been diluted on social media, and want to get this vital information back into your timelines. Let’s start here with ways you can help and resources: https://t.co/HJn0Q1PqbZ #BlackOutTuesday

— Hamilton (@HamiltonMusical) June 2, 2020

If you do #BlackoutTuesday on Instagram do NOT use the hashtag #blacklivesmatter or any of the other ones folks are using for info.

It BURIES all the important information and connection.

Look at the video: pic.twitter.com/RajCpGogce

— brittany packnett cunningham does not do remixes. (@MsPackyetti) June 2, 2020

Others lambasted the hashtag for itself being a distraction and called on white Americans to act instead of performing activism on social media.

this is not helping us. bro who the hell thought of this?? ppl need to see what’s going on https://t.co/fN492qsxaa

— nope (@LilNasX) June 2, 2020

Another one. To all the white people doing this #BlackOutTuesday thing, talk about this amongst yourselves. Pinpoint why and how you perform empathy rather than actually act on empathy. https://t.co/Ivbta1ofFm

— Ava DuVernay (@ava) June 2, 2020

The campaign comes just over a week after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Floyd’s death in police custody sparked protests that have spread across the U.S., with tens of thousands of Americans taking part in demonstrations against police brutality and racism. A video showed an officer with his knee on Floyd’s neck for several minutes before his death; that officer has been charged with third-degree murder.