Are Award Shows Still Relevant?

By Michaiah Varnes//

Back in the 1980’s and 1990’s, award shows were popular and widely watched live by the general population.   

Now, with social media apps like TikTok and Instagram, short clips posted online often reach more people than the broadcast itself.   

So, are award shows still relevant in today’s society, or have they lost their sparkle, hype and star quality?   

To answer that, it’s worth looking at how often people watch them, the streaming options available and what happens after the show ends.  

Award shows today exist in a strange, in-between space. They are no longer the cultural “must-see TV” moments they once were, but they also have not disappeared completely from the screen.   

“I don’t watch award shows because when I scroll on Instagram or TikTok, I see the clips,” sophomore Moussa Kallo said. However, he further explained that if he did have to watch the broadcasting, it would be on his social media feed.  

Instead, they have shifted into something more fragmented, part live broadcast, part social media spectacle and part PR machine.   

Most viewers don’t sit through a three-hour-long ceremony anymore; they wait for the viral moments, the fashion highlights, the emotional speeches, or the controversies that dominate the timeline for a day or two.   

In many ways, the relevance of award shows has shifted from the event itself to its afterlife. The clips, the memes, and the discourse are where the real cultural impact happens now. The show itself is just raw material.  

Think about the moments people still talk about, the Will Smith and Chris Rock incident, the “La La Land” and “Moonlight” mix‑up, or Taylor Swift’s interrupted acceptance speech.   

These clips spread faster and wider than the shows themselves, proving that the cultural impact now happens online.  

Streaming has also reshaped the landscape. With so many platforms competing for attention, the idea of millions of people tuning in at the same time feels almost nostalgic.   

Award shows have not fully adapted to that shift. They still rely on long, traditional formats that do not match how audiences consume entertainment today.   

People want immediacy, interactivity and authenticity, not scripted banter and predictable pacing. That was the glamor of the 80s and 90s award shows that people tuned into live.   

Even as viewership declines, the industry still treats award shows as essential. Winning a major award boosts careers, shapes public perception and influences what gets funded next.  

For artists, filmmakers and musicians, the stakes remain high. For audiences, the stakes feel lower than ever.   

So, are award shows still relevant? Yes, but not in the way they used to be. They are no longer communal events; they are content generators, designed to produce moments that live longer online than onstage.  

Award shows have not disappeared; our relationship to them has. We gather around the timeline instead of the TV, waiting for the clip that goes viral rather than the full broadcast.   

They still matter, but mostly because they fuel the cultural conversation, even if most of us only catch the highlights.  

##