The Oscars and Social Media, which films were the most popular

There have been a lot of controversy surrounding Oscars lately, and the social media world exploded at last weekend with the awards show finally arriving, and whilst there was an air of inevitability about some of the winners (Gravity), there were still some differing opinions online. The event itself seems to attract audiences around the globe who are not avid film fans, but the hype and class that the Oscars bring is a lure for many. This year’s event was just as popular for the red carpet escapades, but when the awards ceremony got underway, there was a spike in social media traffic in relation to the Oscars.

Viewers and users searched Google for their favourite nominees, and also searched for different styles they’ve sported in the past. Google then analysed the top category nominees and trends, based on the top searches on the search engine.

Best Movie: According to the online world, Martin Scorsese’s, The Wolf of Wall Street should have won the big prize at the Oscars. In the end it was 12 Years a Slave that took away the best picture award, which is probably about right, and in truth it was a two horse race between Alexander McQueen’s emotional picture, and the superbly acted Dallas Buyers Club.

Best Actor: Once again the online community opted for The Wolf of Wall Street, with the choice being Leonardo DiCaprio. Unfortunately for Leo he has never taken home an Academy Award, despite being a four-time nominee. The award for best actor rightly went to Matthew McConaughey for his performance in Dallas Buyers Club, and DiCaprio was again just unlucky on the night. Many were angry about the latest Oscar snub, but in truth he best chance of an award was his portrayal of Calvin Candy in Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained.

Best Actress: Gravity lead the pack in this category online, with Sandra Bullock generating a lot of support, and rightly so. She was fantastic in Alfonso Cuaron’s claustrophobic space adventure, with no co-stars to connect with, but on the night, Cate Blanchett won the award for her performance in Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine. This was also a great performance by the ever-wonderful Blanchett, but there was something raw about Bullock’s performance that left the audience feeling that she should have taken the award home.

Best Supporting Actor: This was probably the easiest award to give out on the night, and the online world agreed. Jared Leto was brilliant in Dallas Buyers Club, as he portrayed a transsexual HIV victim. Despite receiving a backlash from the transgender community, it was a great performance from Leto, who will look at this film as a career defining moment.

Best Supporting Actress: If Google trends were anything to go by, and also reflecting on the BAFTAS, Jennifer Lawrence was hot favourite to take home this award for American Hustle. Unfortunately for her, the film as a whole was snubbed on the night and instead, Lupita Nyong’o took home the award for her emotional performance in 12 Years a Slave. Few could argue with the result despite strong support for Lawrence who has a cult like following around the world.

Best Film in a Foreign Language: The Google searchers got this one correct with Italy’s The Great Beauty taking home the Oscar. The film focused on an aging writer’s reflections on life and his search for meaning among Rome’s idle rich. On the evening of the Oscars, many people expected this to walk away victorious, and it did.

A mixed bag for the Google users then on Oscar night, but in particular many will be disappointed that The Wolf of Wall Street did not take home any awards. Most will concede though that the right decisions were made, and it was especially nice to see that Dallas Buyers Club was successful on the night.

Alex Smith

Alex is an English Literature and Sociology undergraduate whose love for written word has led him to write about some obscure topics in his time. Currently a content writer at Social Media Frontiers, be sure to follow him @AlexSatSMF.

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