The biggest night in the entertainment industry wasn’t only about entertainment, it was also about tweeting, retweeting and hashtag Oscars.
(Just before I start my article, I would like to say that this is the first time I didn’t feel bad for DiCaprio. Congratulations for a well-deserved recognition, Mr. McConaughey.)
Soooo this is probably what Leonardo DiCaprio’s feeling at #TheOscars2014 right about now. #SadLeo pic.twitter.com/emg03wMVSy
— E! Online (@eonline) March 3, 2014
The way people interact with live shows have changed for a while now. With the emergence of Twitter (and other social networks), how people engage with those shows have changed drastically. But none of the social networks compete with Twitter when it comes to anything live, which is why – among all social media – Twitter dominated the Oscars coverage.
The Tweets
Sorry, our bad. #Oscars pic.twitter.com/VrjKjZ4YGl
— The Academy (@TheAcademy) March 3, 2014
People were tweeting about the Oscars for at least a week. The Twitter nation eagerly anticipated the show and during the live broadcast (8:30 p.m.-12:00 midnight ET), there were more than 14.7 million tweets around the world containing terms related to the Academy Awards. Which means that the reach of the Oscar buzz is exponentially more than the 14.7 million.
The Polls
For maximum engagement experience, Twitter unrolled a new feature especially for the Oscars that allows tweeps to vote on their favorite nominees, dresses and so on. The polls were provided by Poptip, a company that provides “accurate social surveys” that can be integrated on air for greater social interaction. E! Online used the new pool to ask their followers about their predictions for the big night.
The Hashtags
You know my motto- give the people what they want. pic.twitter.com/JdHUYGeUDo
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) March 3, 2014
What is the coolest thing about Twitter? Hashtags? The Academy Awards got hashtagged this year, indeed, from #redcarpet to #selfie and #pizza, people were engaging through Oscars-related trending topics.
Long story short, there have been over seven million tweets using the hashtags #Oscars and #Oscars2014 alone. Enough said!
The Backstage Experience
Backstage at the #Oscars in the #ArchDigestGreenRoom with @hitrecordshow AKA Joseph Gordon-Levitt pic.twitter.com/OOGL8wketo
— The Academy (@TheAcademy) March 3, 2014
People can’t get enough of Oscar glamor. The backstage of the Academy Awards has always been a mysterious place for the audience, but Twitter is here to please. Even the backstage got live-tweeted this year with Ellen and others posting pictures of the golden sculptures and some of the fun that happened behind closed curtains.
The really interesting fact here is that people were using Twitter as an instant photo sharing tool instead of Instagram. Twitter wins the live battle again.
The Vines
.@johnlegend and @chrissyteigan take a spin in our #FashionTurn at the #Oscars #SmileStyle https://t.co/QG806z8pmS
— E! Red Carpet (@redcarpet) March 2, 2014
Some people would have you believe that at the Oscars, fashion is more important than the awards. For that, E! had a 360 Vine Booth to capture some of the best fashion trends of the evening. Stars stood in the booth while a camera circled 360 degrees around them to capture a six-second video that automatically published to Vine. See some of them here.
For those who don’t know, Vine is owned by Twitter.
The Selfie
If only Bradley’s arm was longer. Best photo ever. #oscars pic.twitter.com/C9U5NOtGap
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) March 3, 2014
Who said selifies are best taken on Instagram? Ellen DeGeneres took the most popular selfie of all time, loaded with A-listers. It’s now the most retweeted tweet… ever! In less than 40 minutes, the tweet crashed the record for retweets previously held by Barack Obama.
WE SAID THIS: Don’t miss “Arabs at the Oscars“.