Preface
Hi everyone. I have taken a break from posting over the last few weeks because I have been significantly lacking creativity, inspiration, and, overall, interesting thoughts. Along with a death in my family (as per my last post, Diversity in Dying), I have struggled to find motivation to research and write creatively when there is much death in the world as of late. Following another strike on Rafah, I’m sure we have all witnessed the revitalized global outcry in response to Israel’s continued attack on the Palestinian people in Gaza. Thus, my research efforts have been put toward a better understanding of the history of the conflict, lack of geopolitical action, and hypotheses as to future outcomes.
Before shifting the focus of this post, I want to say that my thoughts are with those in Gaza, and I desperately hope to see the innocent children and civilians caught in this conflict have peace as soon as possible.
Today’s topic originated before the recent strike on Rafah, where there has been an interesting social movement afoot behind the headlines. It has been fuelled by the growing division in socioeconomic classes across North America, the extensive coverage of the conflict in Gaza, and the increasing realization of just how out of touch the rich and powerful can be. Coined the “Digital Guillotine” (even more colloquially known as the Digitine) by social media users, this movement draws parallels between modern society and the French Revolution. So today, we will explore some striking similarities between the current and past social atmosphere, as well as the controversy that now inherently accompanies celebrity status.
The Origin of the Digital Guillotine
The beginning of the digital guillotine occurred the day after the Met Gala, on May 6th this year. Despite the months of news saturated with atrocities around the world, the Met gala was planned and broadcast as usual. Media coverage portrayed hundreds of celebrities dressed in incredibly expensive, lavishly designed, and themed clothing, in the faces of a society struggling economically and viewing the suffering of millions around the world daily. The bottom line is that the event had a staggering Hunger Games-esque feel to it, now more than ever.
Following the Met Gala, a TikTok influencer named Haley Baylee with just under 10 million followers posted a video at the Met Gala dressed as Marie Antoinette to the audio “Let them eat cake.” Although the video was likely not intended to be a snide comment on the current social and political climate, the pure ignorance and tone-deafness of the video sparked instantaneous backlash. So, the term “Digital Guillotine” was introduced as a play on words to the Marie Antoinette reference.
This movement encourages people to unfollow and/or block celebrities who have remained silent about social issues on their platforms (such as the conflict in Gaza) and to put further pressure on the rich and powerful to leverage their presumed influence to instigate positive change. The effects of this movement are seen predominantly on TikTok, but a considerable rise in Instagram posts relating to the war in Gaza has also followed.
I have shared my thoughts about social media activism in my post titled as such, particularly when it comes to sharing uninformed, performative information. Please feel free to read that post for further context on the benefits and harms of digital activism. For a different perspective, let’s look at the interesting similarities to what we see now vs the French Revolution.
The French Revolution (1789 – 1799) in a Nutshell
Before looking at similarities and differences between now and the French Revolution, I want to give a brief overview of the causes and outcomes of the conflict. I am no historian, so this will be short and sweet and only cover the basic main events.
The French Revolution began in the late 1780s, when France, like most European countries, was ruled by a monarchy. Under the royals, there were 3 social classes/estates. The clergy, the nobility, and the commoners. At the time, France was in a significant amount of debt and essentially going bankrupt. So, the monarchy decided to raise food prices and taxes for the commoners while the rich and royal continued to lead lavish lifestyles.
Long story short, the political system in France made economic contractions hardest on the poor and had historically been governed by royals who inherited their power at birth and ultimately maintained a system that seldom benefitted the rich. So, the people revolted in efforts to create a republican constitution (the term republic commonly means a system of government that derives its power from the people rather than from another basis, such as heredity or divine right). A fight for a government composed by the people, for the best interests of the people had begun.
Another long story short, after a decade of bloodshed and civil unrest, the monarchy was not abolished. Some say that the enlightened ideas and new ways of thinking that gained traction during the conflict were the true successes of the French Revolution. Others say that it was not successful at all, considering the government structure ended up more or less the same way it started (with the new self-declared emperor, Napoleon). Nevertheless, the social change that occurred during this time earned the French Revolution much space in history books and a plethora of social phenomena to be studied by past and present academics.
A Note About the Guillotine: the guillotine was introduced as a form of capital punishment during the Enlightenment era (and French Revolution era) in France. Supposedly this method of execution was more humane than previous practices. The guillotine itself became a symbol of the revolution as it represented the Reign of Terror (the years during the French Revolution in which a series of massacres and executions occurred) and symbolized equality. Specifically because everyone died the same way, regardless of social class.
The French Revolution Parallels
Although the Digitine is a clever play on words, there are distinct differences between this social movement and that of its namesake, the French Revolution. The first of which is that the French Revolution was an extraordinarily violent conflict, whereas the Digital Guillotine consists of tens of thousands of anonymous Gen Z frenziedly typing “eat the rich” in TikTok comment sections. However, that is not to say that there isn’t a real social change on the horizon, or that this form of resistance is futile.
If we look at the social climate during the French Revolution, there are some similarities. For instance, many working-class people express that they feel unheard and unseen, and that their interests are not represented by those in positions of power. The outcry in response to the lack of government action and celebrity silence on pressing social issues exposes an increasing disconnect. Many express a misalignment in terms of the interests of those who have power/influence and the rest of the world. I believe the trouble arises when the majority (like the commoners) feel as though their interests, wants, and needs are no longer reflected in the governing body and influential class. In other words, a government that may be by the people, but does not necessarily seem for the people is being called out.
In this case, celebrity status constitutes a governing body in terms of power and influence in an age where it takes nothing to gain a following and acquire a public platform that is becoming more and more coveted by the general public. So, although this “revolution” is taking place by very different methods, it is safe to say that opinions regarding who ought to speak up and how governments should reflect the needs of their people are gaining traction.
What Happens Next
Over the past several months we have witnessed a rise of frustration with the current socioeconomic climate. Whether it is the price of food, gas, housing, or global inequities, a clear distaste for political decisions and resentment for the ever-content and undisturbed top 1% is in the air. Along with the internal social turmoil and divides in the West, witnessing a system that allows a small percentage to turn a blind eye to atrocities across the globe seems to be the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Although I am not entirely convinced that a celebrity Instagram post can alter global politics, the threat of social defamation is imminent when it comes to speaking out about such complex issues. In some cases, just because there is a lot of noise about certain issues does not mean they are well-researched or brought forth by well-informed opinions.
I have said it before and will say it again, I wish that everyone would take the time to learn about such important issues, but these are the dangers that accompany pressure to speak up out of fear of cancel culture rather than being truly educated on a topic. Further, the expectation that anyone with a following should convey a position on complex social issues seems to be the perfect opportunity for misinformation to be spread. So, I am interested to see what will come of the Digitine and analyze its outcomes compared to the highly debated success of the French Revolution.
Lastly, social media movements like the Digitine tend to be short-lived. We have seen before how a quick rise in attention about one issue can be swiftly replaced when something new comes along. So, it is hard to estimate how far this will go. In addition, the Digitine is a much lower stake than the French Revolution, as we can hardly compare a decrease in social media following to decapitation by guillotine. So, although I think it is extremely important for everyone to be informed and genuinely care about what is going on in the world around them, I think it is a very real possibility that this too will be a brief trend that produces little change. What do you think?
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