On March 12, 2023, the 95th Academy Awards aired, marking almost a century-old tradition of awards, celebration, and entertainment. Though nothing might ever quite beat Will Smith’s infamous slap at last year’s Oscars, the 2023 Academy Awards certainly had its moments. The evening began with Ke Huy Quan’s heartwarming win for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Everything Everywhere All at Once, marking him as the first Vietnam-born actor to receive an Oscar. His win set the stage for the rest of the night, as Everything Everywhere All At Once went on to win 7 of its 11 nominations, including Best Picture and individual wins for Michelle Yeoh and Jamie Lee Curtis. All Quiet On the Western Front made an admirable showing as well, with a count of four Oscars for the night. Black Panther received recognition through costume designer Ruth E. Carter, who became the first African American woman to win a second Oscar. Though film was the focus of the night, many live music performances took place as well, including Rihanna’s “Lift Me Up,” sung originally in Black Panther, a reenactment of the first Indian Oscar-winning song, “Naatu Naatu,” and “Happy Birthday,” sung by the audience to the newest Oscar winner, James Martin.

Despite the many events of this year’s Oscars, a mere 18.8 million people tuned in their televisions to watch–a number that, though increased from last year, has been steadily declining over the past decade. From 2010 to 2021, there was a 75% drop in the Oscars viewership, with 41.7 million viewers reduced to just 10.4 million. The Academy Awards isn’t the only award show receiving lower viewing numbers, however, as the Grammys received its 3rd lowest turnout ever with only 12 million views last year.

Speculation as to the cause of this decline in viewership of award shows is widespread. Many argue that the Oscars (and similar awards shows) have lost their cultural relevance. This phenomenon is most evident in the fact that the Oscars has gradually decreased the number of nominations for blockbuster films in recent years. Consequently, the number of views is diminished due to the public’s lack of knowledge for the films being showcased.

This trend began in the early 2000s, when an uptick occurred in the number of small studios with even smaller budgets, leading to filmmakers uncaring of the broader public’s opinion. These filmmakers therefore experimented more in their productions and were evidently successful, as a new era of typical Oscar winning movies began thereafter.

Since then, it has been argued that many films are not being made for public enjoyment but rather as “Oscar Bait,” or films that do not necessarily appeal to the general public. As a result, a disconnect has formed between popular films and Oscar-winning films. Everything Everywhere All Once, for instance, only grossed 108 million dollars worldwide, whereas Avengers:Endgame grossed a staggering 2.8 billion dollars but did not receive a single Oscar.

Alongside this lack of cultural relevance comes a lack of cultural sensitivity. Many people find the Oscars and similar shows to consistently alienate their audiences. It is evidence that the Oscars is no cheap production, with hundreds of thousands of dollars spent on mere gift bags and million dollar outfits on display. For example, Cate Blacnhett’s 2014 Oscar dress cost an incredible 18.1 million dollars, which is a far cry from the average person’s income. Therefore, many viewers might find such ostentatious acts unnecessary, especially in a world where many people live paycheck to paycheck.

Aside from the monetary differences that viewers and Oscargoers face, political differences arise as well. The Academy Awards have historically been politically vocal in their shows, whether it be through jokes made onstage or outright denying entry to certain guests. This consequently may alienate audiences whose political views do not necessarily align with those of the show, and even those who do support the points made at the Oscars may feel that it’s overdone. The Oscars may therefore be inadvertently driving away audiences through the prevalent political motivations that often appear during the program.

Another argument for the decline in views lies in the technological advances of today’s world. The new prevalence of streaming and the ability to decide when and what to watch has overtaken cable television, the very place the Oscars are found. Many people are no longer willing to sit through the 16 to 20 minutes of commercials per an hour of cable television when they can simply turn to social media for updates or play a movie on demand. This trend was solidified last year when streaming TV outperformed cable, marking a new era of television and a possible explanation for the decline in Oscar views.

Despite these drawbacks of the Oscars, it is unlikely that its views will ever truly go away. Perhaps the appeal of the Oscars lies in the fact that it is a glorified representation of the masses. Perhaps people might turn to the Academy Awards and similar shows as an escape from daily life. It is possible that, to many, the Oscars is not even an escape, but a representation of the “American Dream,” as passionately stated by Ke Huy Quan himself after his Oscar win this year. It’s also possible that, under all the glitz and glamor, the underlying sense of what the Oscars really is– a celebration of film as art–has withstood changes of the times. Yet controversy will remain. Are the Oscars truly an inspiring means of raising awareness for film and talented individuals, or are they the dying form of entertainment that many believe them to be?