From a Shared Oscars Moment to a Fractured Pop Culture

The piece argues that the 2014 Oscars selfie signaled the peak of a once-shared pop culture, but as streaming, personalized algorithms, and the pandemic reshaped media consumption, audiences fragmented and large, nation‑spanning viewership for major awards and traditional TV declined, signaling a shift from a common cultural language to highly individualized media experiences, with a few events still drawing sizable crowds.