Black Twitter: A People's History

Last updated
Black Twitter: A People's History
Black Twitter - A People's History poster.jpg
GenreDocuseries
ShowrunnerJoie Jacoby [1]
Written by Jason Parham
Directed by Prentice Penny
Starring
No. of episodes3
Production
Executive producers
List
Producer Jason Parham
Production companies
Original release
Network Hulu
ReleaseMay 9, 2024 (2024-05-09)

Black Twitter: A People's History is a 2024 documentary film series about the history of Black Twitter. The series is produced by Onyx Collective. [1]

Contents

The three-part docuseries is based on Jason Parham's 2021 Wired story and was directed by Prentice Penny. [2] [3] [4]

The series chronicles the oral history of the influence of the Black community on American society and politics since the Obama administration. It also shows how Black people had used Twitter as a general means of expression to comment on everyday life. [2] [5] It touches on a range of serious topics (Black Lives Matter, Trayvon Martin, January 6 United States Capitol attack), but also more humorous topics (the TV drama Scandal, Crying Jordan meme). [5]

The trailer for the series was released on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. [6] The series then premiered at the South by Southwest (SXSW) film festival in March 2024 [7] and debuted to the public on Hulu on Thursday, May 9, 2024. [5]

Development

Penny was finishing the scripted show Insecure and wanted something different when thinking about his next project. [8] He goes on to share his reasoning on why he accepted this series as his next project: [9]

"When I was looking for my next project, Black Twitter: A People’s History excited me because I knew it would be a challenge and make me feel scared again creatively," Penny says. "If we don’t document our history, who will? Making this docuseries with Onyx Collective showed me that the power was never in the platform; it was always in us. As expected, Black Twitter has many thoughts, and I can’t wait to see who all gon’ be there on May 9!"

Guests

The following guest star in the series: [7]

Episodes

Series overview

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1 3May 9, 2024 (2024-05-09)May 9, 2024 (2024-05-09)

Season 1 (2024)

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleOriginal air date
11"Chapter One"May 9, 2024 (2024-05-09)
Overviews the beginnings of early 2000s networking services like MySpace and Black Planet, and how the Black community came to Twitter instead of Facebook. The episode highlights prominent guests sharing anecdotes, including the origins of #BlackGirlMagic, President Barack Obama's election in 2008, and the debut of Shonda Rhimes' "Scandal", all of which helped create a robust social collective.
22"Chapter Two"May 9, 2024 (2024-05-09)
Starts explaining Black Twitter during the #BlackLivesMatter movement and a post-racial America.
33"Chapter Three"May 9, 2024 (2024-05-09)

Reception

When the series was announced and teaser was released on March 8, 2024, Black Twitter had initial negative responses. Some called the series a "big media big-footing, of The Man swooping in to claim a piece of a sacred subculture". Another even questioned the existence of the project because of "who it will serve and benefit most beyond people that don’t need to be in our (cultural) business in the first place, including people thirsty to exploit Black Twitter". [5]

The series is described as "an archive, reminding us that we possess the power to demand change; we need only to use our voices to activate it". Moreover, it showcases history that is "challenging mentally and emotionally to relive", while also complementing it with some "humorous Black discourse". [2]

Rendy Jones of RogerEbert.com writes, "the doc functions as a surface-level crash course" and how "the movement deserves more than a superficial appreciation", while "it breezes through topics ripe for deeper conversation". [10]

James Poniewozik, chief TV critic for The New York Times , writes "it's an engagingly specific snapshot of the Twitter era and the social period it overlapped with: a time that was serious even when it was silly, that was fun until it wasn't". [11]

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References

  1. 1 2 "Hulu Docuseries 'Black Twitter: A People's History' Premieres Thursday, May 9, on Hulu | What's On Hulu". ABC. Retrieved 2024-05-14.
  2. 1 2 3 Tinubu, Aramide (2024-05-09). "'Black Twitter: A People's History' Offers a Hasty Archive of a Bygone Era: TV Review". Variety. Retrieved 2024-05-14.
  3. ↑ France, Lisa Respers (2024-05-08). "Prentice Penny is far from 'Insecure' about his Black Twitter docuseries". CNN. Retrieved 2024-05-08.
  4. ↑ Lawrence, Andrew (2024-05-08). "'That open tweet is the canvas': behind the highs, lows and memes of Black Twitter". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2024-05-08.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Vognar, Chris (2024-05-09). "'Black Twitter: A People's History' tells how humor and hashtags fostered a subculture". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-05-14.
  6. ↑ JoVonn, Jeroslyn (2024-04-25). "Hulu Releases Trailer For Three-Part Docuseries On The History Of Black Twitter". Black Enterprise. Retrieved 2024-05-21.
  7. 1 2 "'Black Twitter: A People's History': Hulu Docuseries Gets First Teaser And Premiere Date". Yahoo News. 2024-03-11. Retrieved 2024-05-14.
  8. ↑ Frank, Allegra (2024-05-13). "'Black Twitter' Tells the Biggest Story in Social Media". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2024-05-21.
  9. ↑ "Hulu's New Documentary Highlights The Story And Impact Of Black Twitter". Essence. 2024-04-24. Retrieved 2024-05-21.
  10. ↑ Jones, Rendy (2024-05-09). "Black Twitter: A People's History movie review (2024) | Roger Ebert". RogerEbert.com . Retrieved 2024-05-21.
  11. ↑ Poniewozik, James (2024-05-09). "Review: 'Black Twitter' Looks at Who Gave the Platform Its Voice". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2024-05-21.
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