How social media influencers are helping to ensure Oscars stay relevant another 95 years
LOS ANGELES -- Changes are underway for the 2023 Oscars as part of the Academy's efforts to get more younger people involved on social media.
Social influencers are front and center during Oscar season which is why influencer Juju Green was among those saying "Good Morning America" when the nominations were announced.
Talking about movies gained him three million followers on TikTok and those who run the Oscars have moved there to meet young fans.
"We want to be in constant dialogue with film lovers, film fans around the world," said Academy CEO Bill Kramer. "Social media is the place to do it."
Kramer knows he needs to reach teens for the Oscars to stay relevant.
That includes teens like two sisters from Brighton, England.
"Our entire age group are all on social media constantly," said influencer Elodie Lee.
Elodie, who is 15, and Mireille, 17, began by recommending books to their 290,000 followers. And they see commenting on movies as a natural extension of their brand.
"When we began our TikTok, A Life of Literature, our way of doing it was visualizing books, making them into movie trailers," Mireille said.
And an Oscar frontrunner is one of Mireille's favorites.
"'Everything, Everywhere All At Once' is absolutely bonkers, and you can understand why it got 11 nominations," she said.
But they don't love everything they see. Some of their posts have been liked more than eight million times and the comments indicate fans appreciate their honesty.
Considering how the Academy has embraced newer forms of media, Entertainment Reporter Sandy Kenyon said he wouldn't be surprised to see the Lee sisters on the carpet one day soon.
In the meantime, Oscar producers are planning to use QR codes on Sunday night's broadcast so viewers can access more information about the nominees while watching the show.
