Twitter

When a platform becomes a voice

Twitter had always been the place where conversations happen in real time. But we wanted to do more than host the conversation. We wanted to lead it. The 2018 Oscars felt like the right moment. Hollywood was in the middle of a reckoning. Women were speaking up, demanding to be seen, heard, and represented. And Twitter had been the place where so much of that conversation was already happening. It was time to show up in a bigger way.

The Oscars are one of the biggest cultural stages in the world. Millions of people watching. A moment when the industry celebrates itself. We saw an opportunity to hold up a mirror and say something true.

So we created #HereWeAre. Twitter’s first-ever Oscars commercial. It wasn’t a product spot. It was a statement. New York poet Denice Frohman wrote and performed a piece that hit hard. Words about visibility, resilience, and the power of showing up. We brought in voices like Ava DuVernay, Issa Rae, and Jennifer Brea. Women who had used their platforms to push for change. Women whose work spoke for itself. We hosted a live event with leaders from film and media to keep the conversation going beyond the broadcast. And we ran a full-page ad in The New York Times because some messages deserve more than one moment.

Over 10 million views in the first 24 hours. Widespread media coverage. And a shift in how people saw Twitter. Not just a platform. A voice. One willing to stand for something when it mattered most.