Has The BET Awards Lost Their Value?

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Viewers of the BET Awards have expressed dissatisfaction with the program as a whole in the last few years. Many of the major names that used to attend these performances in the past have stopped doing so, so it's apparent that some of the talent that is actually in attendance must agree. 

I believe that we all want the BET Awards to be treated with the same respect and appreciation as the Grammys or the Emmys since it's the only venue where black people are guaranteed of being acknowledged in all media, including music and film.

Following Taraji P. Henson's hosting of the most recent BET Awards, a plethora of topics were discussed on social media, one of which being whether or not the awards shows still had any significance for viewers or just may not mean what they used to mean to people anymore. .

Another perspective to this is that it may not be BET at fault for this. Some could argue that the show's "seriousness" or diminished value is a reflection of the young talent we currently have.  Social media has made it extremely easy for anyone to feel famous, but in actuality, today's stars aren't the same as they were a generation ago. 

At that time, everyone attended the BET Awards, including Michael Jackson, Beyoncé, James Brown, Outcast, and Jay-Z. The music industry was made up of musicians who valued their craft more, and this was reflected in the talent who attended the awards shows.   

I do believe that these well-known businesses in general are always trying to appeal to Generation Z and are simply mimicking what they see on social media. Not a lot of originality.  Instead of creating memorable and viral moments during award shows, they now use content from social media to create a buzz. I believe that the primary reason why the BET Awards are receiving so much criticism right now is because we want what is rightfully ours to be appreciated and valued.