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Updated June 3rd, 2020 at 15:22 IST

Why are people posting black screens on social media? #BlackoutTuesday raises voice

Why are people posting black screens on social media? has reportedly been one of the most searched questions recently.. Read to know about #BlackoutTuesday.

Reported by: Amir Khollam
why are people posting black screens
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Yesterday i.e June 2, 2020, saw an abundance of netizens posting black squares on their timeline. This silent cyber protests promoted by artists around the world was called Blackout Tuesday where various entertainment industry elites including musicians, celebrities, actors, music labels and sports stars vowed not to post anything on their social media and observe a one day break to pay tribute to George Floyd, who was killed on the streets of Minneapolis which ignited a countrywide Black Lives Matter movement in the USA. #BlackoutTuesday was observed by various artists around the world, including celebrities in India. 

Also read: Nargis Fakhri joins 'Black Lives Matter' protest in Los Angeles; says, 'It was peaceful'

What is Blackout Tuesday? 

The idea of Blackout Tuesday was to fill Instagram, Twitter and Facebook with blank squares. As a campaign to educate people about the Blake Lives Matter movement, millions of people took to their Instagram and posted the #BlackoutTuesday blank square. Organisers of the campaign called Blackout Tuesday to be a way for people to disconnect with the world and reconnect with the community by taking an urgent step of action to ignite change and provoke accountability. 

Also read: Hundreds support Black Lives Matter in suburban DC

But, the campaign actually ran through some troubles when people started sharing Blackout Tuesday posts under the Black Lives Matter hashtag on social media posts. As people started using #BlackLivesMatter, it clogged up the feeds of the hashtag and stopped people from receiving important updates about the protests from around the world. Various celebrities like Jennifer Aniston, Idris Elba, Elton John, Grant Gustin and various others joined the cause and posted a blank image on their social media feeds. 

why are people posting black screens blackout tuesday posting black screens on instagram everyone posting black screens why not use black lives matter hashtag why are people posting black screens blackout tuesday posting black screens on instagram everyone posting black screens why not use black lives matter hashtag

Also read: George Floyd death triggers Black Lives Matters protest in Holland, with social distancing

The organizers of the movement had to urge people on social media to not use the #BlackLivesMatter along with their BlackOut Tuesday posts. They asked people to type out Black Lives Matter instead of using the hashtag in order to not stop people from voicing their thoughts but also for others to be able to find recent updates about the protests around America. Whereas, #TheShowMustBePaused was also used by activists in order to encourage members of the music industry to take a pause and reflect upon the situations surrounding racism in America. The hashtag also promoted artists to create a productive conversation around how the African-American community can be supported. 

Also read: Video of dog holding ‘black lives matter’ placard at US protest takes internet by storm

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Published June 3rd, 2020 at 15:21 IST

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