Google has released its annual list of Oscar nominees by frequency of search, suggesting the biggest buzz surrounds The Revenant. This isn’t an accurate prediction of who will win — more of a “people’s choice” if you will, and a reflection of the narratives unfolding in each of the categories.
Leonardo DiCaprio was the most searched for Best Actor nominee for instance, largely down to his raw bison liver-eating gonzo shoot and the usual discussion of him having never won an Oscar.
The hype around The Revenant puts it top for Best Picture and Best Director too, which would mean Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s second consecutive Academy Award (he won last year for Birdman).
The Best Actress category is probably the most open, though relative newcomer Brie Larson’s role in surprise hit Room seems to have interested the internet the most.
The report from Google also reveals how “snub” spikes in search post-nominations every year (are there really people who don’t know what it means?!) and has “boycott”, “African American” and “Will Smith” among its biggest related topics, a reflection of the furore over the alleged “whitewash” of nominations.
