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YouTube published a new report about the evolution of mainstream culture, which examines how expanded internet access has created a new dynamic of niche trends and microinfluences.
The report found that most people still align with foundational, popular trends and want to feel like they’re part of a bigger cultural conversation despite increased access to niche communities.
YouTube’s new Trends and Culture report was based on a survey of 939 people between ages 14 and 44, which was conducted by NRG.
This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback.
YouTube published a new report about the evolution of mainstream culture, which examines how expanded internet access has created a new dynamic of niche trends and microinfluences.
The report found that most people still align with foundational, popular trends and want to feel like they’re part of a bigger cultural conversation despite increased access to niche communities.
YouTube’s new Trends and Culture report was based on a survey of 939 people between ages 14 and 44, which was conducted by NRG.
As explained by YouTube: “Our cultural landscape is more fragmented than ever, but our desire for shared experiences remains strong. The mainstream hasn’t disappeared, but its meaning has shifted: digital creators and communities now stand alongside traditional cultural gatekeepers as the arbiters of what makes it into the mainstream.”
According to the survey data, 63% of respondents indicated that, compared to five years ago, it’s more true that they watch content or follow creators that everyone they know is also watching or following.
Yet, the expanded media landscape has also made it more difficult to identify mainstream trends because ideas and concepts can now come from so many different sources.
“When asked what many people seem to be into nowadays, digital entities such as YouTube creators (77%) and memes (78%) were perceived to be as widely known as Hollywood celebrities (79%) and the Super Bowl (83%),” YouTube said. “This shared belief about what’s popular shows online culture has now achieved mainstream status alongside institutional mainstays.”
In order to measure this, the report identified three key signals that define mainstream culture in the modern era.
The key dynamic shift is participation, with audiences now much more able to engage in culture than they have in the past. That signal, YouTube said, is key to understanding mainstream trends.
“Digital culture has created new pathways to mainstream success,” YouTube said. “The ideas that break through are those that inspire participation, foster communities, and sustain conversation, building the visibility, participation, and comprehension needed to become mainstream.”
At the same time, YouTube said a combination of these elements is required if a subject is to reach mainstream consciousness because many large fandoms only fulfill some of these components.
Based on this, YouTube said it is facilitating new ways for audiences to enter fandoms, communities and conversations “that increasingly shape the mainstream.”
“[Eighty-two percent] of online 14- to 24-year-olds turn to YouTube for content, conversation, or information about what they’re a fan of, and of those, 95% use YouTube to consume content about the person or thing they’re a fan of at least weekly,” the report said.
YouTube said that examples like the recent “Backrooms” film underline the changing pathways of achieving cultural relevance. The film began as a YouTube video and then inspired a fandom, subsequently becoming a Hollywood movie. Other examples include the movie “Five Nights at Freddy’s” or internet personality MrBeast, both of which have reached broader cultural awareness through YouTube and online discussions.
The report underlines the increasing role YouTube plays in guiding culture and helping ideas grow and expand to broader communities. But a key ingredient of this modern shift is participation and enabling the fan community to engage and create based on a central idea, which is now critical to cultural shifts.
These are interesting notes that underline the importance of resonant concepts and the importance of fan engagement in terms of driving broader relevance.
