#Oscars2020 makes history
There’s never a shortage of storylines to monitor when we’re analyzing the social conversation around major cultural events like the Oscars.
This year’s production was no different. There were thousands of mentions of #OscarsSoWhite – a topic Janelle Monáe did not shy away from in her opening performance of the show. Chris Rock and Steve Martin earned praise for “not hosting” the ceremony. Eminem surprised many with his performance of “Lose Yourself” in the middle of the show, and Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig dazzled with their acting.
Steve Martin: Why don’t they have hosts anymore?
Chris Rock: TWITTER! #Oscars pic.twitter.com/yctPyseuRh
— Lost in Film (@LostInFilm) February 10, 2020
But the star of she show was Parasite, the Korean comedy-thriller that earned four Oscars last night and became the first ever foreign film to win the coveted Best Picture category. It was a big night for the Academy, and it couldn’t have come at a better time for an organization that was being widely criticized for its underrepresentation of female directors.
More than eight million tweets were posted using either #Oscars or #Oscars2020 last night. Adding to the significance of the first foreign film winning Best Picture, more than 70% of the online conversation was from outside of the United States. Not only was the global impact of the American movie industry on full display through the awards last night, but it’s interesting to note how diverse the discussion on Twitter was, too.
Our congratulations to all of the winners of this year’s Oscars ceremony. Now I, like most of you (probably), have to go watch Parasite to see what the buzz is all about.