July 2022 Gas Boycott

Submission 5,718

Part of a series on 2022 Russian Oil Ban and Gas Price Surge. [View Related Entries]

About

The July 2022 Gas Boycott is an organized boycott of purchasing gasoline between July 3rd and July 5th, 2022 amid the Russian oil ban and gas price surge that made gasoline prices in the U.S. cost upwards of $7 in some states. Awareness of the boycott started on TikTok in June 2022.

History

2022 Russian Oil Ban and Gas Price Surge

On February 21st, 2022, the conflict in Ukraine escalated when Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his troops to invade Ukraine's eastern front into the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.^[1] In response, on February 23rd, U.S. President Joe Biden issued sanctions on Russia. He was quoted saying in his statement, "That means we cut off Russia's government from western financing" (shown below).

In early March 2022, gas prices in the United States reached an all-time high of $4.104 per gallon, being the highest price for gasoline since the 2008 Financial Crisis.^[2] This followed the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken hinting at talks being made within the government of putting a ban on Russian oil imports, something that the Biden administration had been hesitant about (the U.S. reportedly received 3.5 percent of its oil from Russia at the time). The ban, if enacted, would be more symbolic than detrimental. In contrast, the E.U. received 27 percent of its crude oil from Russia.

In turn, many perceived the Russian invasion of Ukraine and Biden's ban as primary factors to the rising gas prices. However, many other factors were present such as the lifting of COVID-19 lockdowns in China, strong demand for gas and an increase in U.S. oil exports to Europe where prices are even higher.^[3]

Alleged Gas Price Gouging

Alleged gas price gouging was occurring in the U.S. from oil companies exploiting the Russia-Ukraine situation and Joe Biden's presidency as a scapegoat for unjustly raising the price of gas. However, news outlets like CBS News^[5] deemed this sort of price gouging "nearly impossible."

CBS received a quote from Boston University energy analyst Frederic Brunel who said, "This is a highly competitive market. If a station was trying to price gouge, there would be a correcting mechanism from the other stations to undermine the price gouging and use that as a way to drive more customers to their station."

Fuel Protests in the U.K.

On June 13th, 2022, TikToker^[7] mejulaay posted a video that aimed to organize a "Fuel Protest" starting on July 4th in the U.K. earning roughly 1.4 million plays and 44,100 likes in 10 days (shown below, left). Also on June 13th, 2022, TikToker^[8] helipilotchris also posted a video about the "Fuel Protest," earning roughly 49,000 plays and 2,000 likes in 10 days (shown below, right).

July 2022 Gas Boycott in the U.S.

On June 17th, 2022, TikToker^[4] aidans_98_prelude posted a video that stated people online were trying to organize a boycott of gas from July 3rd to July 5th. His video received roughly 13.6 million plays and 2.3 million likes in six days (shown below). Additionally, in the top comments of his comment section, aidans_98_prelude stated, "It’s not difficult to understand gas companies rely on daily income. This kind of thing has worked before. We can do it again. / I have two jobs to get to, a thirsty car, and a 13 gallon tank. I’ll make it work, I don’t wanna hear your weak excuses."

The premise behind TikToker aidans_98_prelude boycott alluded to his belief that the gas companies were price gouging, however, there's reportedly been no solid proof that this is occurring in the U.S. Regardless, his video spread to Reddits' /r/SocialistEconomics^[6] on June 17th where it earned over 300 upvotes in six days.

More TikTokers created their own videos about the gas price boycott as a way to spread awareness about it. For instance, on June 22nd, 2022, TikToker^[10] noahglenncarter posted a video about the boycott, earning roughly 578,100 plays and 76,300 likes in one day (shown below).

The discussion spread to Twitter as July 3rd came closer. On June 21st, 2022, Twitter^[11] user pierrefleury_ tweeted, "I really hope y’all are serious about not buying gas from July 3-5th. That could make some serious impact," earning roughly 236,700 likes in two days (shown below, left). Many Twitter users became aware of the boycott after pierrefleury_'s tweet and voiced their support. For instance, on June 21st, Twitter^[12] user rugdealer_ posted a reply about why the boycott would be effective, earning roughly 24,300 likes in two days (shown below, right).