The Oscars, Brain Rot, and The Death Of Prestige

As younger generations continue to turn towards the internet for their content, what fate awaits for Hollywood?

Last Sunday, celebrities and renowned members of the Academy gathered together to celebrate the Oscars. The awards show is considered one of the touchstones of modern-day media culture, but how much impact does it really have? And what messages are the films we’re praising really sending?

In this episode of How Is This Better?, Akilah Hughes is joined by journalist and podcaster Ryan Broderick, who has dug deep into the myriad of ways in which the internet has been shaping the awards landscape, rather than the other way around.

Together, they discuss:

• How viral marketing, “brain rot” trends, and inexperienced influencers disguised as journalists are leaking out of online spaces and into Oscar campaigns. 

• The increased struggle for actors and filmmakers trying to take traditional paths, and how the web is turning into a more viable career launchpad. 

• How many of the favored nominees, even at their most political, reflected warped versions of cultural fears, while those left snubbed were too close to our current moment to be properly celebrated.

• Hollywood’s notable shift away from outspoken, political statements during red carpets and acceptance speeches, and whether they were driven by bowing to fascism, career instability, or apathy? 

The media landscape is shifting before our very eyes, into a version of itself that’s more chronically online, more desperate, and more disconnected from the people who are supposed to be watching it.

And if Hollywood continues this transformation…is it time to roll the credits?

You can get more from Ryan at his podcast @panicworldpod here on YouTube, or anywhere you listen to pods. You can also find him at @ryanhatesthis on Instagram.

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