Tran Keller

Augusta University

Rachel Balducci

2/9/19

Feature Story: Social Media’s effect on Film

Social Media has become a staple in the film industry, but can turn out to be beneficial or

actually harmful. In regards to promotion, commercials and other common advertising

techniques are still used, but nowadays do not seem to hold as much weight as social media

hype. With the way social media has evolved, everyone now has access to it. People are able to

share their thoughts and opinions on various things, especially the latest movies and films.

Recent Netflix film, Birdbox, took the world by storm, everyone was talking about it. The

funny thing is, there wasn’t really any actual promotion for the film. People found out about this

film through word of mouth on social media. Every social media outlet contained posts

specifically about the movie. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and even Snapchat. The various

posts piqued the interest of thousands, resulting in this cycle of hearsay that made more and more

want to check the film out. “Honestly, the only reason I was interested in watching the movie at

all was because of how many people were talking about it.” This word of mouth type of

promotion that Birdbox got proved to be very beneficial with over 45 million Netflix streams.

This isn’t just the case for Bird Box either, other movies with minimal ad promotions have

benefited from social media hype as well. “I remember when What Happened to Monday was

really popular. My mom was telling me she saw her co-worker or someone make a post about it

on facebook and actually I ended up seeing a lot about it on Twitter I think.”

 While social media hype has benefited films in ways of promotion, there are also

downfalls and bandwagon hate trains widely popular films are faced with. Marvel movie, Black

Panther, is a widely successful and beloved film. It received great reviews and everyone seemed

to love it. Later on in the year when the film started gaining more and more acclaim and awards,

the movie began to get hit with negative comments via social media. After one comment, came

another, and after that comment, came more and more. “There was so much support and love in

the beginning, but as we saw the popularity and recognition increase, they decided to turn their

positivity into negativity. Twitter became a war zone because of it.” The same can be said for

films Moonlight and Get Out. Even movies that have yet to be released, but show a very

successful tracking record, are hit with these social media hate trains. Marvel’s upcoming,

Captain Marvel, is an example of that.

Social media is not necessarily restricted or censored. Many movies and films get spoiled

for fans and the broader audience due to those who post the plot of the movie or very specific

details about it. I personally have had numerous films spoiled for me so the movies never really

surprised me with anything. Being spoiled can cause fans or the target audience to not even feel

the need to see the movie anymore and this harms the film's revenue,sales, and box office

numbers. “Someone literally posted every twist and turn in BlacKkKlansman and that was a

movie I really wanted to see, but like what’s the point if I already know what’s going to

happen?” The films themselves have also been leaked on certain streaming services before the

nationwide release. When that occurs, the film sometimes ends up making poor box office

numbers. Social Media has proven to be a blessing and a curse for the film industry, but with the

way it continues to evolve, there will be many more curve balls thrown it’s way.