Hulu’s Forthcoming “Black Twitter” Docu Garners Mixed Reactions: ‘It Feels Exploitative’

Hulu’s Forthcoming “Black Twitter” Docu Garners Mixed Reactions: ‘It Feels Exploitative’

Looks like some social media users have some concerns about Hulu’s upcoming documentary about Black Twitter.

Many took the the social media platform, now called X, expressing their take about the project as they seem to feel it’s just another attempt to capitalize off of Black culture.

A trailer for the documentary titled, Black Twitter: A People’s History, was released by the network this past Friday (March 8th). Announcing the project’s release date of May 9th, the 35 second clip recalled some iconic moments from Black Twitter over the years. A few of the memorable hashtags included: #Zola – referring to a viral 2015 thread that told the harrowing story about strippers and drugs – which was eventually turned into a movie, #ScandalThursdays – referring to the collective watching of the gripping political thriller series starring Kerry Washington, as well as #BlackGirlMagic – which represents the rise and celebration of Black women’s hair and power over the decades.

The three-part docuseries is directed by Prentice Penny, longtime producer of Issa Rae’s hit HBO series Insecure, and features a host of interviews from notable Black entertainers influential to the rise of Black Twitter, including political commentator Amanda Seales, internet personality Kid Fury, and sports commentator Jemele Hill. A description about the series reads:

“Based on Jason Parham’s WIRED article “A People’s History of Black Twitter,” this three-part docuseries charts the rise, the movements, the voices and the memes that made Black Twitter an influential and dominant force in nearly every aspect of American political and cultural life”

While the intentions for the documentary are clear, social media users have continued to express their skepticism. Many questioned why the project needed to be done in the first place while others speculated its purely a way for a major network to monetize off of Black culture. Some, however, stated that they’ll be watching the doc with an open mind and urged others not to condemn it solely off of a trailer.

Will you be tuning into the Black Twitter documentary? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!