The social media phenomenon of Black Twitter is getting the star treatment in Hulu’s upcoming docuseries “Black Twitter: A People’s History.”
via: Complex
On Friday, Hulu released a teaser for the show, which is based on a 2021WIRED series written by former Complex editor Jason Parham. The Hulu and Onyx project chronicles the dominance of Black Twitter, which made the community influential both politically and culturally. The three-part series is being produced by notable media mogul and showrunner Prentice Penny of Insecure.
“Typically when you’re doing a doc, the subject matter of what you’re talking about is past — it’s over, it’s done,” Penny told IndieWire about the upcoming series. “Jason was so prophetic in documenting the story at this moment in time. We sit in the dark, in the digital space or internet, and so many things are here today, gone tomorrow that you’ve got to catch these moments.”
The series will feature other big names in media, including Kid Fury of The Read, comedian and television host W. Kamau Bell, actress and comedian Amanda Seales, producer and podcaster Van Lathan, journalist and political correspondent Wesley Lowery, sports journalist Jemele Hill, New York Times writer Jenna Wortham, and more.
When news about the series broke, Black Twitter (now known as X but whatever) did what Black Twitter does best and took it to task. Skepticism about the project stemmed from a number of things, including concern over the focus on media celebrities versus regular users, and apprehension over inviting outsiders to watch an inside look at the community.
Question.
If Black Twitter was present for all of Black Twitter’s antics, then who the hell is the documentary for exactly? We was all there!
— ? (@MadeInHawaii___) March 9, 2024
you can’t explain the brilliance that is black twitter in any sort of documentary that won’t make it seem corny as fuck. far too nuanced, far too many contributors. it’s one of those things you just understand without having to explain lmao
— dij (@DijahSB) March 8, 2024
Black Twitter arguing over whether that Black Twitter documentary is gonna include all the right people and topics, is the most Black Twitter thing ever.
— N. (@Virtuous14) March 9, 2024
The real meat and potatoes of Black Twitter is everyday people. Not B-list Black celebrities and pseudo intellectual Talking Heads https://t.co/AVQvIEYzGa
— Martin Luther Vandross King Jr (@WordsNRoses) March 8, 2024
But are the non-famous Black Twitter ppl involved, the ones who actually move the app? pic.twitter.com/2ibqNq4zWT
— Kyla Jenée Lacey (@Kyla_Lacey) March 8, 2024
That Black Twitter documentary looks like it might be when the yearbook staff made the yearbook but they just made sure their friends were all in the yearbook and not really what was happening in school at the time.
— No Relation, Esq. (@TheCosby) March 8, 2024
I know this is about to be corny as hell because the Black people that actually made Black Twitter what it was, are all non-famous Black people. I only see well-known Black people in this advert. They do not move the culture or run anything. They are spectators at best. https://t.co/y4L8hY3Z1R
— AshleyStevens (@The_Acumen) March 9, 2024
While skepticism circulated, others including those involved in the docuseries defended the project, calling for social media to save their judgment until Black Twitter premieres.
“I’d like to think after 20 years of holding the culture down, y’all would trust I got #blacktwitterhulu best interest in mind,” Penny wrote on X. “But lowkey, I also love black Twitter mad hesitant and petty ‘bout it, too! LOL!”
Until then, shut up. Seriously. Y’all been annoying AF about this all day. Complain when white ppl try to tell our stories, complain when we tell our stories. Complain that nobody’s told our stories. Just shut. up.
Or do something different.
— Naima Cochrane (@naima) March 9, 2024
I’d like to think after 20 years of holding the culture down, y’all would trust I got #blacktwitterhulu best interest in mind. But lowkey, I also love black Twitter mad hesitant and petty ‘bout it, too! LOL! pic.twitter.com/fRerojiFP6
— Prentice Penny (FUX YO BLUE CHECK) (@The_A_Prentice) March 8, 2024
The reaction to that Black Twitter doc is what it is–right, wrong and way off–but it’s clear that a lot of y’all don’t know what gatekeeping actually means
That, and it feels like you want movies, books and content about us, but to exist in a magical vacuum that only we see pic.twitter.com/iPiBLXxyu3
— Kellee Terrell (@kelleent) March 8, 2024
Black Twitter debuted to SXSW guests on March 8, ahead of its release on Hulu May 9.
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